Protect and Plunder
by Silver-Winged Bird
Summary: Mary Stern pays the price of her family living in debt for three decades and is forced to forfeit her home and everything she held onto so dearly. Suddenly a teenage boy comes in to save the day, but not like how she had in mind. BluexOC
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

Mary slumped tiredly on the hay, releasing a huge sigh. She slowly opened her light forest green eyes and gazed listlessly to the sky. Her twin braids fell loosely into the straws of hay just as limply as her body. She adjusted her long leafy-green dress and sighed again, more exhausted than most ranch girls. Her family, or her old sickly mother, at the most, was greatly ill, and the family has owed over thousands of dollars for many of the family's generations, and no generation has ever paid them off. Mary was sick and tired of living in debt and having to live with what little food and resources her tight money allowed her to buy.

"If only I was like other girls," she would mumble sadly to herself every night, "and if only I had a boyfriend with the best of fortunes and money, maybe, just maybe I wouldn't be so sad…"

Every night she'd go to bed either hungry or in fear that the people she and her mother owe money to would barge in at any time and tear their little farm apart. She was waiting for the day that large hands would ruthlessly toss her in prison along with her deathly ill mother and let them starve with even less food than they usually do, if that were possible.

She waited for that day… That very day…

"Mary?" her mother called her hoarse and faint voice outside. "Could you come here please, sweetie?"

Mary sighed again and sat up. "Coming, Momma," she hollered as she brushed off the worn dress covered in hay by her knees and raced inside the old and rickety wooden door. She stopped two inches into the little house and gazed at her mother who sat limply in an old chair. Her old wrinkly smile warmed Mary's heart, although it was quite stony and tired of everyday "life."

"There you are, sweetheart," her mother cooed. "Have you finished watering the plants, Mary?"

"Yes Momma."

"Have you fetched the eggs from the chickens?"

"Yes Momma."

"Have you milked the cows?"

"Yes Momma."

"Have you sold the calf for money?"

"I will do that now, Momma."

"Have you raked the leaves and mowed the lawn?"

"No Momma."

"Have you fed the horses?"

"No Momma."

"So you've finished half of your work?" her mother laughed lightly.

"… Yes Momma," Mary mumbled a little disappointedly. She decided to try and change the subject to alleviate her humiliation. "Momma? When can we get rid of this house and live somewhere else?"

Her mother's tiny smile faded away and a sorrowful look immediately replaced it in an instant. "I don't think we'll ever move out of this place, darling," she answered softly. "We've been in debt for 3 decades now; it's very hard, almost impossible for us to move. I'm sorry for all of the inconvenience. Is there something that you truly want out of life?"

Mary was stunned. To think that she complained about her hard life, about all the many things she has lacked and now the many things she could have if she wished overwhelmed her. She wasn't very successful at the age of 16, that's for sure, and she's the only girl in school who didn't have the latest fashions, the best of homes, boyfriends, and the radical electronics that everyone had.

But now her mother asked what she wanted, and all the things she could dream of having demeaned her and made her seem selfish. "Um… I'm not too sure, Momma."

"Really? Don't you want fancy cars, clothes and electronics like all of the other girls, Mary?" her mother asked again, a little surprised of her daughter's unexpected answer.

Mary hesitated and slightly shook her head. "Not really, Momma," she lied.

"Not even a boyfriend?"

Mary lightly blushed and sat down on the couch. "I don't know." She didn't even know her type of boys. What best suits her? _Strong and bright_, she thought to herself. _He must be good-looking and can understand me. I want to be able to open up to him without ever crossing a second thought of doubt… but… That's too much to ask, isn't it?_

Suddenly she heard loud male voices outside and trembled in fear.

They have arrived…

"Mary? What was that, dear?" her mother asked in worry.

Mary stared blankly and ever so aimlessly out the shattered window. Her usually shiny and glittering green eyes were so dull and blank that it took the life out of her eyes.

Three men dressed in raggedy clothing came barging into the already weak door and cracked their knuckles. One man smiled and his lips curled into an ever-so frightening snarl.

"Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted with a gruff and not-so-friendly voice, "may I ask you where the money is?"

"Get out! How DARE you barge into our house like that!" Mary demanded angrily, her thin clammy hands balled into tight fists that trembled in a sea of hatred and fear. Her eyes narrowed and tears leaked and spilled down her gaunt face.

The main man chuckled. "Unfortunately this isn't your property anymore," he replied, almost in a sense of condolence. But his dark thin eyes betrayed the pity in an instant. "I'm afraid we'll have to ask you to move out."

"Oh? And where do you suppose we go?" Mary's mother asked neither as timid nor angry as her daughter was. "Do you have a place for us that we can reside in?"

The man grinned and revealed his ugly snarl from within; "Why yes, actually."

"Where to?" Mary asked darkly.

"Wherever your hearts desire," he answered with a laugh and his men shared in the cackling along with him. "Along the street, that it."

Mary felt even more hopeless as, out of fear, she raced for the door and slammed her way out.

The three men immediately ceased their laughing as the general signaled to Mary, saying, "I'll get the kid. You two come follow me after you call for back-up. This old hag ain't goin' anywhere," he smirked at Mary's mother. "Move out!" He zoomed after the trail that the teenage runaway had taken.

_Mary_, her mother thought in despair, _I hope you know what you're doing…_

Mary shoved her way past crowds of people and through streets, not looking back. People stared at her, their eyes following her tail in wonder and awe. She ran in the dead-middle of the street, obviously not afraid of the zooming cars and automobiles and threats that surrounded and encompassed her. She leaped nimbly past gaps between cars to avoid crashing into them.

But she was only running. She had no where to go in particular. She had no place to turn to, and no where to hide. Suddenly, a flashback popped into her head…

"_Momma," Mary asked, her tiny little hand held onto her mother's in wonder and sadness, "Why are they pushing those people out of the lake like that?"_

_Her mother sighed and shook her head. "They, unfortunately, are closing the pond down, sweetheart."_

"_But why? That was our favorite place to go to," her daughter persisted in entering the forbidden area. Her glistening emerald eyes welled up with tears. She held on to the scratching lacing of her mother's dress, as if pleading for comfort. _

_Her mother sighed and kneeled to her child's level. "I know, baby. They don't want people making it dirty. If you want, though," she smiled onto her little girl, "You can come hide here when you need to."_

_Mary looked up back to her mother in total shock as if her soul was accepted into heaven. "… R-really? I can come back here?"_

_Her mother laughed. "You may. Only when the time is right…"  
_

_Only when the time is right…_

That time was now…

Mary felt her body jerk in front of her as a large beefy hand clasped her elbow and yanked her backwards. She almost had tripped on her own two feet from the huge force, but somehow managed to stay nailed on her feet. Her eyes frighteningly searched into the man's for remorse or pity, but saw nothing but pure bliss in her capture.

"Caught you, little girl," the man cackled in delight as he pulled her closer to him as he grabbed her arms even tighter than before. "You won't get away this time!"

Mary struggled and writhed in pain and desperation to escape, but suddenly stopped as she gazed at the many more men that followed behind him. Were there 6 more? No, there had to be 10. Mary counted 12 in front, but she was sure there were still a few more behind them. She felt her heart sink in a sea of despair and shatter at the very core of her chest. What was she to do?

"Man, do you need all of these men just to capture a little girl?" a young tenor voice had asked from in front of the capturer and behind Mary. With what little strength she had, she turned her head to see a boy just standing there in total awe.

He was quite tall, taller than Mary who was 5'5", and had straw-like blond hair that was muddled over his oceanic blue eyes. He wore a long draping blue tunic as bright as his eyes, and was buckled at his waist with a belt. He wore a long sky-blue sweatshirt under the tunic, and long white leggings underneath. His brown dusty boots leveled almost to his knees, adding up to a strangely clad boy.

_He wasn't from here, was he?_ She thought in wonder. His clothes were so peculiar, and his skin ever so pale. But the only thing she could manage to look at, of all things on the lad, was his eyes.

A smirk curled its way onto the corners of his lips as he replied once more, "She's a tough gal, isn't she? Obviously more better and nimble than you folks."

The man holding Mary captive snarled and barked, "Shut up, pest! I'll pound you to the dirt!"

The boy let out a hearty laugh. "Now how can you do that when you got a little girl with you? Is it possible?"

"Want me to show you?" the tall gentleman snickered as he dropped Mary ruthlessly onto the floor. She let out a small yelp and brushed off the tiny rocks piercing her hand. She looked back into the newcomer's (the boy) eyes and saw not a speck of amusement on the treatment the man bestowed her.

"Rude, aren't ya?" the boy cocked his head. "If I do recall, weren't gentlemen supposed to treat women with respect as a sign of chivalry and civilization? Oh wait, now I remember!" The boy laughed and cackled to himself. "Only smart guys do that!"

Mary blinked. This boy was cheeky, she had to admit, but now was the perfect time for it. No one was up for his joke, however.

Growls came back in response to the boy's crude humor. The main man stormed in front of his, fist raised in the air, as he bellowed, "You're finished!"

A twinkle flashed in the boy's eye as he moved away so fast he was almost a blur. Mary's eyes widened in awe at his agility and dodging skills. She gaped in wonder and thought to herself about the many possible ways he could become so nimble.

"What the hell?" the man stared at the boy who missed his punch by a mile. "What is with this kid?"

The boy chuckled. "As always, you tough egomaniacal men underestimate the short kid, huh? Well, you're sadly mistaken!" His left arm reached behind his back in a flash as his sword, golden hilt, silver blade and all, shone under the sunlight in a foreboding manner.

"The kid has a weapon! Men, prepare yourselves!" the general shouted. All of the guys encompassed the boy, outnumbering him, over-12 to one. But the boy didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he grinned and chirped happily, "Cool! As they say, 'the more, the merrier!'"

"Shut up, kid!" One man declared as he lunged for the outnumbered child. All men followed in his example and dove in to attack.

Mary thought the kid was done for. The very boy who so desperately tried to help her was going to be smashed in a matter of seconds… and there was nothing she could do about it… She was trapped in a sea of guilt and misery…

… Again…

Mary tilted her head to the sky and released a bloodcurdling cry. Tears sped down her cheeks as she felt her heart stop beating. This kid was dead. There was no way he could take on that many men without losing his life in the process. It was over in a flash, just like how it all started.

All of the men landed with a thud as an uproar of guys began to search frantically for the mischievous boy. Mary knew he was under there somewhere, suffocating from lack of air. It pained her eyes to watch the horror. She sobbed over the loss of the child. But there was no sign of him. She didn't see his ratty hair or his blue clothing; not even his silver was spotted in the swarm of muscular men. Where was he?

Was he really beneath all of those men?

"Those guys are stupid, aren't they?"

Mary gazed up to see the boy standing above her, obviously uninterested, sheathing his sword. He took a seat next to her and smirked at the mess of guards on top of one another. She gasped and quickly wiped away her tears. "W- What? How on earth did you manage to get out of there alive?" She scanned his body, his clothing and pale skin in particular, and hollered, "How did you do that? There isn't even a cut on you!"

The boy laughed again as he crowed triumphantly, "I'm a master swordsman! I've been training on taking hits, dodging them, and delivering them my entire life!"

Mary stared at him in utter disbelief. Are you kidding? "Since when?"

The boy stopped laughing so hard and looked at her again. "Um… Actually, I don't recall…"

That long ago? She sighed and muttered, "Wow."

The boy tried to look into her dark green eyes again. Immediately he sensed pain, and he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"These men are trying to capture me," she answered blankly.

"Oh really?" he stared back murderously at the pile of men recovering from their fall and stood up. He grabbed Mary's hand and dragged her up as well. "Well then, come on!"

The men noticed (finally) the two children running away from the scene away in retreat. They growled and ordered, "After them!" All of the security men raced after them on full speed.

The boy looked behind him to see the gang of fools catching up fast. He cursed under his own breath and actually picked up Mary. She let out a squeal as he raced twice the speed he had just used a minute ago. He was bolting down the streets and past the cars in fury to escape the men. Luckily the followers were slowing down.

Mary was screaming and shouting in fear, but in a few seconds she actually got used to it. She sat back and almost smiled to herself as she let this boy carry off her followers and even her problems and fears.

Instantly, a sudden fear swept past her eyes and flashed in her mind like a neon sign:

Her mother was still captive…

At the perfect time, when the two children were far ahead of the men, she squirmed again and bellowed to the boy, "Let me go! Put me down now!"

"Why?" he retorted. "Do you WANT to be captured by those freaks?"

Mary wriggled even more until the boy obliged and released his tight grip on her. She stood in front of him and slapped him square in the face. He gaped at her and his hand raised slowly to caress the flushed cheek.

"Ask me questions before you carry me off like that again! Do you hear me, dude?"

She demanded rashly, pointing a sharp and furious finger at him. Her flaming emerald eyes burned with the desire to slap him again.

He blinked in shock and couldn't take his eyes off of hers. "Okay…" he turned back to the men catching up to them and queried, "How much money do you owe them bastards?"

Mary scowled at him with a look of pure hatred and turned away abruptly. This boy wasn't concerned for her! He only wanted to know how much MONEY she owes the government! How greedy and rude!

The boy was dumbfounded in her absence in acknowledging him. He growled silently to himself and then shouted his outburst; "Well then what DO you want me to ask you, what size your boobs are?"

Mary hated him even more, but she made no move to turn around and look at him. His sight was sickening now. He only seemed to worry about money and ladies. Nothing more like she had hoped, unfortunately.

_There goes my romance,_ she thought sadly.

"Wait! Don't leave me here alone!" he called, trying to reach her. But he made no move otherwise.

Mary shot him a nasty glare and growled, "Come back when you want more out of life than money and women…" And with that she continued on her way back to her house.

The boy sat there wondering to himself, "What money? WHAT women?" But there was nothing he could say to gain back the girl's trust. There was nothing else to do but watch the fight go down and watch her surrender in fear and misery.

Mary hid behind a thick bundle of bamboo trees and watched more men, tougher and more armed, securing the house from people breaking in, out, or from her being sighted. She clenched her hands together in worry and fear, wondering if her mother was still held captive inside the torn and tiny "jail" that used to be their home. Her eyes watered again and her mind kept on extracting ideas to break in, some of them the most senile of people would do. She concluded that she should just run in and find her mother, then reach for whatever weapon was around and use it to keep the men away… Then she and her mother could escape to the forbidden and hidden lake she's been thinking about for the past 2 hours.

"I'll go for it," she told herself again and again as she raced into the house. The security men called others on their walkie-talkies and followed in after her. Mary was rushing inside without hesitation, only to see her mother gone from her chair. Where did those bastards take her?

"You're cornered, little girl," the men told her darkly and rashly as they picked up her tiny body compared to their size and carried her out.

"No! Put me down! Where did you take my Momma?" she struggled to free herself again. "I won't let you carry me away!"

"Quit yer yapping, girl," the man demanded again, shaking her to silence her. "If you behave, we'll guarantee your mother's safety."

Mary did not want to surrender, but if it was for her mother, then she had no choice. Her thoughts traced back to the boy she met earlier. She recalled her developing hate for him, but she had really hoped he would return, or that someone like him, more CIVIL, would show up and rescue her. But of course it was too much to ask.

Instantly the man stopped walking as he cringed as if he were in pain. Mary looked up at him and escaped before he fell flat-faced onto the floor. She turned behind her to see the same blue clad boy grinning from ear to ear back at her.

"Glad I showed up?" he asked with a laugh.

Mary wanted to insult him or rebuff, but she had to admit that she was relieved to see his cheeky face again.

"Ugh, you again!" the security men groaned as they pulled out their guns. "Move out of the way before you get hurt."

"Better follow your own warning, dudes," the boy stuck out his tongue at them mischievously and laughed his special laugh again. "It'll be YOU who'll end up limp and handicap!"

Mary could not help but giggle at the child's comeback. The guards growled at him in disgust and cocked their pistols.

"You're gonna regret you said that, boy," one man said, adjusting his shades in an orderly fashion and grumbled, "You're all talk and no walk so far."

"Have you looked in the mirror, lately?" the boy asked again, smirking as he scanned the body of his opponent in confidence and cockiness.

"That's it! Take the boy's head. I want the girl alive and unharmed!" the angry general ordered as he aimed his rifle towards the child, who stood there grinning from ear to ear and lacking fear and shyness.

Mary gasped as a man approached her, arms clawed and armed outward in both directions, preventing her from escape. She backed away, step by step until her fingers feebly and gingerly poked at the rake behind her. She grabbed a hold of it and swung it above her head. She missed a good blow to the head, but she in fact struck his collar bone and she grinned to herself as she was a spectator of the man's cringing and writhing in pain. She turned over to her hero and shouted, "Good luck, kid!" 

"Count on it, gal!" the boy winked as he once again had swung out his blade and slashed at the man's arm. The blade was not close enough to actually dismember the arm from its limb, but it was deep enough to spray out a fountain of blood from the huge and excruciating wound. The man howled in pain as he had released his pistol from his numb fingers.

Mary squealed from the gushing and seeping blood, but she nonetheless clapped for the boy at his fabulous escape.

"Oh no, you don't." Another person dressed in a suit yanked out a tiny gun of his own and fired. The bullet sped towards the boy and slashed open a fresh and straight cut that ran from the front of his cheek to his ear. He frowned and flinched in agony, trying to stop the blood from leaking out of the wound.

Mary gasped and tried to run to him again. "Oh no! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answered dully, as he glared back up at the wrongdoer. "Some nerve you have, pointing that son-of-a-gun at me. I'll teach you to mess with me!" He leaped up and swung his sword at the man, creating an even deeper and more gruesome gory injury than the first man's. The huge cut ran down from the chin all the way to the oblique in a jagged and rough line. The new suit was horribly stained with blood as the tall security guard yelped in pain and quivered on the floor.

Another bullet made its way and dug straight into the boy's right arm. He cried out in pain and crumpled onto his knees as if groveling to the guards. He gritted his teeth and seethed in agony as he desperately tried to alleviate the pain.

"He's nothing but a stupid child," the first man walked up, glaring his stony and mocking eyes down onto the teen. "Too bad this is the end of the line for you."

The boy panted and wheezed heavily. But in the end, he smiled cunning and began to laugh heartily. The men frowned in utter confusion. Even Mary, who was staring straight into the wounds of her hero, was surprised to hear that unique laugh again.

"You men made the most terrible mistakes of your lives…" he replied coldly, his oceanic eyes, once glistening and now frozen in ice, twinkled in his conniving irises. "Your first mistake was patrolling this girl's house… Your second was to shoot my right arm, instead of my left that I use my sword with… And third…"

"You're left handed? No… it can't be…" The men began to draw back from the child who was now standing up in a frightening manner as if he was possessed by an evil spirit, which Mary had to admit she thought so too. The happy and egotistical boy was gone; it was entirely replaced at the moment by a blood lusting demon that had no desire more important than to tear apart its victim limb from limb. His smile, which was heart-warming primarily, was now a spine-chilling factor that foreshadowed the fate of the security guards. "You're… You're…"

"And third…" the teenager concluded, his voice a mere whisper, "… And third, you came across my path AT ALL!" He chased after the men and swung his sword around, actually beheading some of the men that ever did him wrong. The man that shot the child's right arm was no more; his head lay crippled and immobile in the grass, his eyes staring wide out into space forever.

Mary clasped her pounding heart as it ached and throbbed in fear. This boy wasn't the same as before; had she truly underestimated him?

It would appear so. The happy-go-lucky spirit was absent in this ghastly scene as the demon inside of the boy was controlling what was left of his body. Blood from the slaughtered men spilled and stained the floor and the entire atmosphere stank of rotting flesh. Mary held her nose to alleviate her nausea, but she had remembered that several gallons of the blood were from the boy as well. His wounds were almost no better than the dying men that tried to escape.

She stood up from her spot and thought about stopping his feud of annihilating what was left of the security guards. But she knew she would take the high risk of being slaughtered in the process.

No matter. It was now or never.

Mary raced over to the boy and held onto his left and unharmed arm to hopefully stop him. "No! Please stop this! I'm begging you!"

"Let go of me!" The boy tossed her down onto the grass that was pitifully crimson red from stained vital fluid, but his anger faded away when he met her pleading eyes. He was now silent as he felt guilt and regret swallow him whole.

"Please stop this," Mary cried again, tears filling the corner of her eyes. "You don't have to fight anymore… The men are gone… There's none left."

The boy gazed around the entire acre looking for any sign of life in the battlefield. There was neither a sound nor a soul to be found.

"W….. What have I done?" he asked himself as he stared down on his hand in total shock. "Did… Did I do all of this?" His hand clenched into a tight fist as anger shook it violently and rapturously. "What on earth happened to me?"

Mary sighed in pity and settled a caressing hand on his fist. "It's okay, right? You didn't really mean to do all of this, did you?"

The teen exhaled slowly but held on to the last ounce of breath he had as if it were his final breath. "I don't know…"

Mary pulled onto his wrist. "Well, come with me. I'll lead you somewhere."

The boy reluctantly followed. _I'm a threat to her,_ he thought sadly as guilt munched on his heart. _She can't trust me… All the things I did over there… If it wasn't for me looking into her eyes like that… nothing would've stopped me from killing her. Her eyes… were so sad… as if she had lost her whole world because of me… Who was I to do such a thing like that…? To think I was one single centimeter away from beheading her like those bastards…_

… _Really upsets me…_


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Mary held his hand the entire time, as if she were afraid to let him go on his own. She felt like a mother holding her child's hand crossing the street; she was a mother bird preventing her baby from learning how to fly on his own. Her face flushed a light shade of pink. Why was she so flustered like this? Why?

The boy stared at his hand that was tightly wrapped around the girl's. People spotting the scene shot thousands of confused glances towards them, and he felt hot from his cheeks down to the skull. He thought maybe it was just his bleeding wound, but he gave it a second thought over and over again.

The two children sauntered into the streets and roads, trying to avoid the curious glances people around them gave them. Mary would turn away abruptly and the boy shot dirty looks back at the wandering pairs of eyes. She ran faster and he had no trouble keeping up. But the boy's heart skipped a beat as she raced into a thick forest. As the boy entered, he finally concluded to himself that the people were staring at his wounds, not the children's linked hands.

They ran and ran without end as time zipped by like a bullet. Mary almost tripped over a branch until the boy caught her in time. She mumbled a quick "thank you," and continued down the path. The boy nodded though he knew she didn't notice. He continued to ask himself questions as to why she was taking him here. His eyes spotted a sign that clearly read:

**Keep out!**

"Um, girl?"

"The name's Mary."

"Okay, um, Mary?"

"What is it?" She leaped over a rock to prevent tripping again.

"That sign says to stay out," he pointed out in a matter-of-factly tone.

"I know that."

"Then why are we here?"

"The very reason that it is forbidden is why we're here. No one's allowed here, so it's a perfect hiding place." She replied in a happier tone.

The boy's heart skipped a beat at her lovely voice. He had never heard her sound more happy since that morning. His cheeks blazed a dark red and he shook his head, telling himself over and over that it wasn't true.

"You against breaking rules?" she questioned with a giggle.

The boy blushed harder. "What? Shoot no! I break the rules all the time! Didn't you see me back there?"

"How couldn't I?"

Now what was that supposed to mean? It was ambiguous to him; she could've meant to say a thousand things in those 3 words.

"Um… Never mind."

Mary giggled again. "Okay then. So, what's your name?"

"… I have no name."

Mary laughed, hoping he was joking. "You're kidding, right?"

"No."

Mary stopped and looked back into his sapphire-jeweled eyes and immediately sensed he was lost in a sea of thought. "….. Really?"

"Yeah. I go by whatever people want to call me. My home nickname is far too embarrassing to use outside." He blushed again as he sucked in his cheeks.

"Hm…" Mary strolled around him and asked, "Okay, I have an idea. My mother taught me this trick. Out of the three things, what's your favorite: a tree, a campfire, or a river?"

The boy blinked. "Um… I guess I'd have to choose the river."

"Why?"

"Why?" he echoed. He stared down on his feet in search of an explanation. He inhaled and exhaled slowly as the words escaped his lips;

"The River has a beginning, but if it wanted, it would have no end… Time is like a river's flow; its speed is different for each person but yet it continues on without an ending. Its beauty is the reflection and outlook it shows to the world as the sun's warmth and happiness is shone back to it. The river is like a mirror. It only reflects what it sees. It has no emotions, no problems, no… logical faults or discrepancies that could ever challenge its actions. Whenever I look into water, I see myself, basically…"

"You see yourself?" she repeated, her heart struck in awe by his song-like words.

"Yes."

"Then it's decided." She danced in front of him and announced, "Your name will be Mizu from now on, okay?"

"Mizu, as in water?" he asked again.

"Yes!" She clapped her hands and continued to lead him to her special spot. "Now come on. I have something very special to show you!"

"Um, alright then," Mizu followed her hesitantly. What could be so special that she wanted to show him?

Mary pushed down the last branch and sighed a breath of pure relief. "Finally! We've arrived. Look, Mizu!"

Mizu gazed wondrously out of the aperture of the tree branches and silently gasped to himself.

Trees surrounded a large pond like an audience of singing souls as the placid water sat still in silence. Flowers ran across the borderline between grass and water, dancing and swinging in the calm drafts. Mizu's eyes scanned the face of the water and felt as if his soul was lifted up into heaven. Mary smiled to herself as waves of memories splashed onto her like an eager sea, waiting…

"Wow… THIS place was forbidden? But it's so beautiful," Mizu glanced at the trees and frowned. "Why would they close off a place like this?"

"Wildlife Refuges," Mary muttered disappointedly.

"WHAT? But there's no animal here at all!" Mizu protested angrily.

"There are fish, but think of it this way; we have the whole entire woods to ourselves!" Mary squealed in joy.

Mizu could not help but smile. "I guess you're right. There's no one to visit this place's beauty but us. Why haven't I seen this place before?"

"Beats me, but now you have!" Mary walked beside him with a wide smile on her face. It suddenly faltered as she spotted Mizu's stained and still bleeding arm and cheek again. "Oh no! I need to clean your wounds! Come with me!"

"What? They're fine! Honestly! They'll heal on their own eventually!" Mizu shook his head, not wanting to let Mary go through the trouble of cleaning up his troublesome injuries.

"Yes, they'll heal eventually, but the wait will be sooner if you actually CARE for it," Mary insisted, pulling his uninjured arm to sit by the lake.

Mizu, obviously without a choice, sat beside her and winced at the sudden wave of pain that coursed up his arm. He seethed again and tried to ease the pain by squeezing his eyes shut. He cursed under his breath and held it, hoping it would alleviate even just a speck of pain. Without much luck, he let out stressed groans, hoping the excruciating pain does not make him need to faint.

"See that?" Mary pointed at his condition with a scowl on her face, "That's what you get for treating yourself so horribly!"

"Sure, sure," Mizu replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He sighed and looked at the calm waters of the large pond. His mind wandered into the deep depths of space itself. He wasn't paying much attention to his pain anymore, but his thoughts traced their way back to the past, when he first met Mary.

She was so sullen and very sorrowful from all of this chaos that she treated him with so much scorn. Now, for some reason, this calm peaceful place seemed to unleash her happy and tranquil side that he enjoyed a thousand times more. She only scolded him of his carelessness of his body, but other than that she was more cheerful than a bird and more bouncy than that of a rabbit. She smiled, and it brightened his day although the past events in the day really tired and wore him out.

He looked back to her and saw that she was also lost in thought… But not the same kind as him; she happened to be worrying about something mind-struggling, such as the absence of her mother, or the loss of her old life. He could tell. She wasn't loud and joyful anymore. She had a long face, one of regret and pity, as she stared at her feet absentmindedly.

Mary was so lost. What had happened today? And why today of all days? She was so confused. Of all the days in the universe for her family to be caught for lack of paying back the debt, it was in her lifetime, and today. Her mother was gone, her old life was gone, and everything that she actually had, her school life, her very few friends and her daily activities were all lost forever.

But she had to think about the positive side of things, especially since this situation was very dire. But what was so good about today? She did half of her work and got away with it. She doesn't have to do homework anymore, nor does she need to care for the animals and plants. She doesn't need to worry about going to the store with what little money she had, and she didn't have to admit to her world that her home was the old rickety house she and her family generations had lived in for decades. She could say she has the loveliest of places to live… and also…

She met Mizu…

That was more important than all things combined. He had turned her whole day around. His silly jokes made her giggle when all hope seemed lost and his mischievous smile made her feel quite warm and fuzzy. Why did he make her feel this way when none of the other guys made her feel it? Why was it this boy of all people who came to her rescue today? Why did he rescue her? Did he not have anything better to do? Why didn't he move on with his day like everyone else? And then and there, she thought to herself in disbelief…

_Do I love him?_

"You're not happy with your life, are you?"

Mary slightly jumped at the sound of Mizu's voice. "What?"

"You're not happy with your life, are you?" he asked again. "Are you pleased to be in a world of hell?"

"Oh…" she sighed to herself and held her head in her hands. "No. No one's happy living in hell, but its better living in hell than living no where, right?"

"Hmph," Mizu crossed his arms. "I'd rather live no where than there, of all places. Can't really understand why you'd rather live with this crap than just ending it all."

"Ending it all in what way? What do you mean by 'ending it all'?" Mary asked, eyes locked on the boy suspiciously.

"I don't know," Mizu shrugged. "I'd have probably killed myself by now, if it weren't for the fact that I have a family…"

Mary stared back soberly at the pond as if she were accusing it of the purpose of her horrible lifestyle. "I have a family too."

"Anyone beside your mother?"

Mary tried to think of someone to say to the boy that could contradict his claims. But she could only stick to her old mother, who was still no where to be found. "…. Never mind. Ignore me."

Mizu blinked in wonder but turned away. "It's hard for you, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Mary queried, not fully understanding where he was getting at.

"You're lost in never-ending shadows that seem to stretch on forever and ever, not ever giving you a chance to escape into the light… Every step you take and every move you make always end up in nothing but regret and stony failure, as you realize that there's no way out of the sea of darkness. When you finally think you're in the clearing and that you finally made it out of the dark and into the light, you only find yourself sinking deeper and deeper, so deep that you cannot even breathe the fresh air anymore. Time has run out for you to escape… And you have no where else to go and no one to turn to…"

Mary was dumbfounded. How did he know all of this was what she was feeling?

"Yes," she blurted, "how did you know that?"

"Because I know what it is like," he responded with a very solemn look on his face that broke her heart. "I'm still hiding underneath the shadow of my older brother. He's a great brother, but he's still among the top hottest, smartest, and most athletic boy in my entire school. All of the girls love him. He's the top idol for the guys, especially our little brothers. But he's such a spotlight stealer I'm surprised he's my big brother. Sometimes I need to repeatedly tell myself that it's wrong to abhor a sibling…"

"You're basically trapped behind him? You're the second oldest?" Mary asked, trying to look into his eyes. She noticed the bleeding wounds again and gently took his injured arm.

"Ouch!" Mizu winced, but nonetheless he replied, "No, I'm the middle child. I have 2 older and 2 younger brothers."

"You're the middle child? No wonder you're so unruly," she mumbled to herself. She cupped her hands and dunked them gently into the water. When she pulled out a handful of water, she lightly splashed it on Mizu's arm, rinsing out a lot of the blood stains.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Mizu barked as he scowled at her again. He was waiting for her response as he tried to ignore the stinging of the injury.

Mary giggled. "You're suffering from Middle Child Syndrome, which is a syndrome only middle children suffer from. They lack attention that always seem go to the eldest and youngest children of the family!"

Mizu scoffed as Mary laughed her head off at his humiliation. He rolled up his sleeve to prevent further staining and growled, "…. Middle Child Syndrome?"

"Either that or ADHD," she replied matter-of-factly with another snicker.

"I go for the one with the funny alphabet!" Mizu declared jokingly.

The children shared their cackling and laughing like hyenas, but they had the most fun they've had, possibly in their lifetime. The trees acknowledged their laughter and joy by rustling their neon green instruments in the wind. The water let ripples run across its surface in delight as it imitated the reflections of the kids.

Mary slowed her laughing to a complete stop and found herself staring into her hero's eyes. She kept her eyes glued onto the sparkling waters of his eyes as he glanced back into hers. Another faint blush burned its way onto her face.

Mizu was out of breath. He finally came around to realizing that he was looking into the eyes of the girl whom he had many issues with at first. His eyes locked onto the emerald irises of the girl and his face flushed madly once more.

Both of the kids turned away, both clearing their throats in awkward silence. Mary held her pounding heart in her hand as Mizu looked the opposite way and began to whistle a tune. Neither spoke another word for at least 5 minutes.

"Is life any tougher for you?"

Mizu blinked at Mary's sudden words that penetrated the silent atmosphere as soon as they slipped from her lips. Mizu looked back at her as he saw the forest swishing in her eyes. He blushed again but answered; "Yeah. There's also someone who I think… I have fallen in love with, but I know for certain that she doesn't love me back."

Mary was warped into the black space of the back of her mind. Who could this little person, as big as his ego is, fall in love with? "…. Who? Do I know this person?"

"You might know her, you might not."

Mary felt a spark fly down and plummet onto her wooden and flammable heart. Who could this new girl be? "Really?"

"Depends if you let yourself know her."

That tiny spark burst into a mini little flame that ate away at the wood. She couldn't have known this girl. And what in the bloody hell did Mizu mean by it depended on her "letting" herself know the girl? That's probably just bullcrap he pulled up just to alleviate her anger.

"What do you mean by that, Mizu?" she asked, a little bit of demanding in her voice.

Mizu looked back at her. "Do you?"

Mary was confused. "What do you mean by that? I'm asking you!"

Mizu shook his head. "I'll explain it when the time comes."

Mary was angry that he suddenly cut her off like that. It was rude of him to leave her hanging, but she really tried to stop herself from fighting back. It was hard, since he was so blunt, but somehow she managed. She took one more glance at him and her eyes wandered his face. She rinsed her hand again and rubbed the salty blood off of her hero's face. Mizu watched patiently as she pulled out a Band-Aid and unwrapped it. She peeled off the plastic bindings and placed it gently on the cut. Mizu winced but let her stick the Band-Aid on him.

Mary sat back and admired her work. "There! All better! No more sticky blood to infect your wounds!"

Mizu stared at her unimpressed. "Thanks."

"Mizu?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Why did you come to rescue me?"

Mizu's eyes widened. What kind of question was that? "…. Excuse me?"

"Why didn't you keep walking like everybody else when you saw that I was in danger?" Mary asked, her sad green eyes stared into Mizu's, melting his heart.

"….. Maybe it's because I'm not like other people," he answered with a sigh as he pulled his sleeve down on his arm again. "I see someone being picked on, and I want to pick on the bullies. That's just the way I am."

"Are you sure?" Mary questioned again, her eyes large and pleading.

Mizu blushed again and nodded to confirm his answer. "Yes. Why do you think I am lying?"

"I don't think you're lying, it's just… It's just so hard to trust people nowadays. It's really hard. It took me almost forever to learn how to trust you. I thought you were just some stupid psycho maniac who had nothing better to do than to play with money, hit on girls, and pick fights with people they feel like messing with." Mary smiled slightly and continued, "I didn't know you would become the best friend I needed."

Mizu felt complimented, but the memory of his desire to kill shoved its way back into his mind as guilt swam throughout his body once more. His head felt heavier than it usually did and his heart sank almost below his stomach. How could he, the horrible and blood-lusting monster, ever possibly be the best friend of a sweet innocent girl who just wanted a better life? There was no way in hell he could better her situation.

"…... I'm still not," he replied with a blunt tone in his voice. "You want a better life, but I could only ruin it even more. You're possibly going to be charged of assist in assault and battery if you're caught."

"So what? I'm already in a lot of trouble," Mary shrugged, undoing her braids and fixing her hair again. "There's no point in doing good deeds."

Mizu wanted to glare at her, but he refused to. He took in some air and said in a ghostly tone, "You have it all wrong…"

"What do you mean? You and I are both in trouble. You like picking fights with people, and here we are fugitives together," Mary gazed at the clear water growing a flaming red color from the sunset.

Mizu stood up, forgetting how weak he felt. He stumbled a little, but was back on his feet in a matter of seconds. "Never mind. There's no point in staying here."

"What? Why are you leaving?" Mary asked, clinging onto his left arm. "Why do you have to go?"

"Because I said I need to."

"Why? Can't you tell me why? Don't you trust me?" she pleaded again.

"Because you haven't noticed that I was a single inch away from beheading you!" Mizu blurted angrily. He turned his head sharply away from the girl and tried to fight back the tears that threatened to spill from the corners of his eyes. He bit his lip but he made sure not to bite too hard, since he knew that Mary would try to help him if she saw blood.

Mary was struck with realization. She didn't know that he was so close to slaughtering her. She knew he was at a good chance to behead her, but she didn't know how close that close was. He was worried for her safety, she realized.

"I don't want to put you in that risk ever again," he murmured softly. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine," Mary assured with a smile.

"How do you know that?"

Because He, Jehovah, is watching me, she thought to herself in satisfactory. "… Because I know," she giggled as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

Mizu's eyes widened and his face flushed harder than it had ever done before. His heart pounded so hard he feared it would pop out of his chest. What was this new feeling?

"Promise me you'll never leave me alone," Mary asked him as she threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. Tears ran down her cheeks and she buried her face in his tunic. "Please… I'll lose what's left of my life without you."

Mizu was stunned. How in the world did he fall to this? What did he do wrong besides save Mary to make this as the result? She was falling for him… It was the first time any girl had ever met him and loved him.

Then again, she hasn't met his brother, the idol of his school… It's only a matter of time before she brushes him off like a dirty Kleenex.

But Mizu didn't want to wait until then. He wanted now to stay the present forever. His arms slowly made their way up and embraced the very girl he truly had feelings for as he whispered almost inaudibly, "I promise…"

"Caught you!"

Mizu and Mary spun around and released one another. Mary held her heart in fear as Mizu let out a low growl and unsheathed his sword again. Two men came out which were the men from earlier that they had escaped from. One was the tall muscular man from earlier who Mary and Mizu ran away from at the first time they met, and the other man was one of the men who wore the suit and escaped Mizu's onslaught.

"Don't try to escape, brats," the first man they met cracked his knuckles and snickered. "We have you surrounded."

"Surrounded? You and what army?" Mizu barked angrily, readying his awaiting blade.

"We've brought some of the trained U.S. Army," the man in the suit answered, signaling the troops to enter. About 20 or more men with heavy uniform and large rifles entered, all guns pointed to Mizu.

"Damn it," Mizu cursed to himself, "I HAD to ask…"

"You may kill the boy if you like. I want the girl alive and unharmed," the security man ordered, pointing devilishly towards Mizu and Mary.

"Yes sir." The men pointed their guns and cocked their pistols. All eyes were locked on Mizu with almost a statue-like expression on their faces.

Mizu was not afraid of the bullets. He turned to Mary and whispered a little harshly, "Hide in the trees and escape if you can."

Mary nodded and ran off, obeying her friend's command. She raced past the tall trees and kept on running, her green dress a perfect camouflage in the vegetation.

"Get the girl!" The first man ordered.

"No," the security man overruled with a sly smile. "The girl has company out there waiting for her."

"WHAT? You bastards!" Mizu shouted. He had just led Mary into a trap, and there was no way he could go out of the battlefield and retrieve her. He let a small growl escape his throat as his knuckles whitened from the tightness of his grip on the sword handle. He lunged in for attack with his sword facing outward.

"Fire!" the two men commanded in unison, fingers pointed outward to the boy. The troops began to fire all of their bullets towards him.

Several of the bullets had prevailed in striking him, but none succeeded in slowing him down. His anger controlled his mind and body once more, and this time he ran no risk of hurting Mary. He began to slash at the men with his blade. He succeeded every swing he gave, cutting open wounds on every man who he came into contact with, but nothing like the onslaught earlier that day had happened like he hoped for. The men usually caught him off guard and struck him even more. Soon, the exhaustion and pain slowed the boy so low as to allow the men watch him crumple in agony on the floor. He seethed in pain and fell to the grass, almost losing hope in fighting back. The men had stopped firing and watched him breathe heavily for his life. He was so close to sobs, but it wasn't for mercy. He wanted to get back up to his feet and continue to strike the men down.

"Such a pitiful sight," the first man shook his head in disappointment. "I thought he would put up a good fight like he did earlier."

"Sh… Shut UP!" Mizu demanded as he struggled to his feet again. Blood trickled down his entire body as it stained what was left clean of his tunic. He was gasping for air and panting like he had never breathed air in a long period of time. He glared hotly at the men and threatened darkly, "Do you WANT to see another fight?"

"Shoot him dead, men!" The first man demanded, wanting the boy dead.

"No," the second man replied again. "I know one of his older brothers very well. I want to see his reaction when he sees this pile of bloody heap! Men, put him to sleep."

One troop from the army entered with a tranquilizer gun and aimed at him. They shot him triumphantly and Mizu's eyes widened before drooping. He had never felt more exhausted before in his life. He tried to stand, but the sedative was knocking him out cold. He managed to mumble one thing slurred before he fell into a deep sleep; "I'll get… you… two….. You'll… be… sorry…!"

The men stared at the child fall onto the floor again and did not see another move. They exchanged proud glances and snickered at the fallen warrior.

A troop from the bushes came in and seemed to have dragged Mary with him into the scene. She was squirming in anger and continued to shout in his ear, but he did not react. She continued to move violently to escape.

"Put me down! I do not WANT nor do I WISH to be carried by the likes of you bastards!" she declared furiously, writhing her way out of the man's arms.

"Calm down, girl," the man in the suit demanded. "Your screaming is not amusing at all. Be quiet."

"No!" Mary refused to listen, and she saw Mizu lying on the floor. Her heart crumbled in a thousand pieces and flew with the wind. Tears leaked from her eyes once more as she felt more lost and hopeless than she could've ever imagined. What had happened after she left?

He was bleeding horribly, and this time, the wounds were impossible for her to heal. She felt her legs give way beneath her as she sobbed on the floor. "Mizu! No! How could you do this to him? How could you do this to ME?" She held her head in her hands and she cried interminably. "Why did you kill him?"

"Quit yer whining, girl," the first man demanded, threatening to kick her. "He's asleep. We didn't kill him like we hoped to."

"Hoped to?" Mary echoed, scowling lividly at the men. "How DARE you wish to kill him!"

"I didn't wish to," the security man lifted his hand, "I decided we turn you in to the police. You two are in a lot of trouble."

Mary gave up. She had enough of fighting back to these people. She crawled to Mizu and cringed at the amount of blood seeping from his wounds. She placed her ear over his heart and heard only a small and faint heartbeat. But it was better than hearing nothing at all. She felt relief lift tons of weight of guilt off of her shoulders as she embraced him again.

"Where do we take them?" the first man asked his partner.

The security man smirked. "We turn the girl and take her to her mother, and the boy needs to be bandaged before we call in his sibling. He'll be livid for the price he will have to pay for his brother's crimes."

Mary glared at the men, not aware of what they were going to do. She only wanted to feel the embrace of her hero again.

That was all she wanted…

Was it too much to ask…?


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

Mary opened her eyes to find herself in nothing but a grey cell. She blinked twice before sitting up. She gazed around her and found her mother waiting patiently for her daughter to awaken.

"Hello sweetheart, are you feeling okay?" her mother asked, peering into Mary's eyes for the answer.

"I'm okay," she looked around in the other cells. "Where's Mizu?"

"Mizu?"

"My friend," she answered her parent's question without much thought. 'Friend' was a little too blunt and modest, but she didn't want to tell her mother that she liked him, especially since this was a bad moment to explain it. "He saved me twice today."

"He?" her mother echoed with a meek smile on her lips. "What is he like?"

"Oh mother, he's fabulous!" Mary sighed, obviously in love. "He's very brave and strong, and he could read me like an open book! He has ratty blond hair, but it actually looks pretty good on him, and he's pretty bright too. He knew his skills on chivalry, can you believe that? And he's been a trained swordsman ever since he was little! I couldn't believe it at first, but it was true! He saved me in seconds flat! And he's very thoughtful too. He didn't have a name to begin with, so I named him Mizu because he said something so poetic and dreamy about a river and its flow. Plus, his eyes… They're so beautiful. I feel like I'm swimming in a sea of crystal water. I'll never find another person like him! He makes the hottest boy in my class cower in shame!"

"It sounds like you are in love, sweetie," her mother replied with a meek smile curling her thin and pale lips. "What do you think?"

"What? Oh shoot no!" Mary shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "I doubt it. I don't even know who he is!"

Her mother's smile grew in size twice than ever before. "You seem to know him quite a bit. How many siblings does he have?"

"That's an easy question!" Mary smiled with a nod of satisfaction. "He has 4 brothers; 2 older, and 2 younger."

"Does he have a good sense of humor?" her mother questioned again.

"Yes! He's hilarious! He always makes the tall and muscular guys look so stupid and silly!" Mary giggled as she thought of his unique laugh.

"What is his favorite color?"

Mary quickly came up with an answer, "Blue! His clothing is blue and he loves water!"

"How old is he?"

Mary frowned. She forgot to ask him. "I believe he's about as old as I am. I'm not too sure."

"That's alright. You know plenty about him." Her mother beamed at her daughter and laughed a little bit. "I really do believe you have something for him."

Mary blushed but looked away. "Maybe I do, but what does it matter now? We're stuck here and even Mizu is locked away in here because of me. There's no way out." She crumpled into a ball, pulled her knees to her chest and let the tears that she had held all this time fall down her cheeks.

"All you have to do is look to Him for the answers," her mother replied calmly as she gazed smoothly to the ceiling of the cell.

"Jehovah?" Mary echoed, also eyeing the roof in wonder. Of course! What was she thinking?

She shifted her weight onto her knees and she had her hands meet to where she was praying.

_Dear Lord,_ she prayed silently, _Please forgive any of the bad deeds my family had done in the past 3 decades. We know we owe so much debt to the government for so long, but for some strange reason in the past, we could not pay it off and now it has greatly impacted my generation. Please, now in this dire situation, I ask You for guidance… Please lead me out of this dark path and into the light to where I can be free again… Show me where I can turn for help and to escape and find a resolution for my family and future generations…_

_Amen…_

Mary opened her eyes and stared back at the ceiling. As soon as she looked, she found an air vent, and it was perfectly wide enough for her to fit through! She gazed closer to it to approximate her size to determine if she could fit and she could've sworn she saw a ray of shining light beaming down on that one opening.

A smile of gratitude made its way onto her lips as she mouthed the words, "Thank you, My Lord." She reached up and began to open the vent.

"Where are you going?" she heard her mother ask her from the other side of the cell. Mary felt a little sad to leave her mother stranded here, but if she took her with her, it would arouse suspicion and alert the guards of the prison.

"Sorry, mother," Mary apologized, but looked back with a determined look on her face, "but I am planning to free us from our fate once and for all."

Her mother did not look confused, nor did she look angry. Instead she smiled again and whispered, "Good luck."

Mary reflected the smile and murmured back, "Thank you." She crept into the vent and began to navigate her way out of prison. It was vexing that it was pitch black, but that didn't stop her. Finally she noticed the light from an opening and sighed a breath of relief. "Thank goodness! My way out!"

When she looked closer, she realized that it was not the outside. Instead it was an opening to a new cell, and it just so happened to be Mizu's!

Her heart danced with joy and at the same time ached with guilt. He was in new clothes, particularly the same tunic, but a new one without holes in it, and the parts that were not clothed, like his arms, had bandages wrapped tightly around the limbs. She gazed at him to see if he was moving or breathing, but he was so far away she could not tell.

"Psst!" she hissed, trying to get his attention without alerting anyone else. "Mizu! Can you hear me?"

No reply.

"Mizu?" she called again, a little louder than the first time.

Still no response. She sighed and turned around. She hated to leave him behind, but she had no choice. She was to return to her cell, get caught staying idle, or leave without him. She chose to make her way onward.

"What are you doing in the vent?"

Mary's heart stopped for an instant, but she recognized the young tenor voice of Mizu and she immediately relaxed. "So you ARE awake." She turned to him to look at his eyes, but they were not the same as before. His eyes were dull and without a shine, and she immediately sensed depression and hopelessness. His face was blank and without an expression, and she immediately knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Mizu?" she asked sadly, wondering why he seemed darker than his usual happy mood.

"Why are you escaping? There's no point," he replied with a frown.

Mary shook her head. Was he trying to discourage her? Well, it wasn't going to work.

"Yes I'm escaping, and you cannot stop me," she snapped quietly, avoiding unwanted attention.

"Why?"

Mary blinked. What kind of question was that? "What do you mean?"

"What's the point for escaping? You're going to get caught again. You'll only be a free bird for a short time until life hits you. You're a fugitive. It's pointless. What do you want out there that's more important than paying the price for crimes?" Mizu questioned darkly.

Mary scowled at him. "You've given up, haven't you? I don't care if I'm a fugitive! I can do whatever the hell I want because I'm already in trouble!"

"Where does that get you?" Mizu asked dryly. "You don't have a warm bed anymore. You're not living under shelter. No one cares about you anymore because you've committed a crime. You're labeled a criminal even though you meant no harm to anyone. It's pointless to try to avoid that."

"It's also pointless to sit there and rot in the cell, you know," she replied matter-of-factly. "If life hands you lemons, you just have to learn to make lemonade."

Mizu frowned disappointedly. "You think that works in a time as dire as this?"

Mary sucked in her cheeks. "So what? What's wrong with that?"

Mizu glared angrily at her. "What's the point? It's useless! Why are you still TRYING?"

Mary was mortified at the gruesome mood of her dear friend. She felt water trying to leak from her eyes again as she tried to fight them back. She turned away for a little bit and bit her lip to ease the urge to release a sob. Blood seeped out of the newly fresh wound and she let the bitter salty taste swim all over her tongue. It made her calm down a little, but she knew Mizu had no clue she was crying.

She tried to let her mind wander through her memories, but all she could think about was Mizu and their experience from earlier today. She remembered his gleeful laugh and his hilarious jokes. She thought about his poetic words and his warm hug. The words he had said that day echoed in her head over and over and over again…

"_I break rules all the time!"_

"Because," she grinned again, "Like someone I know, I break rules all the time!"

Mizu's angry face faded away entirely as she made her way away from the opening and away from him.

Mizu was left to wander in his thoughts. He had recalled saying the exact same six words that she had said to him that morning. Was she trying to make him remember those words, hoping he would tag along? That was the only conclusion he came up with, and he thought it was greatly immature of her to do such a thing, but he could not help but feel the urge to follow her and run away again. The nerve to leave the cell and catch up to her was growing immensely and he could not shake it off any longer. He was just about to make his way to the vent until someone stopped by his cell.

"Hey kid, what are you doing?" an old looking man had asked scornfully, eyeing the boy up and down as if he was inspecting his uniform.

Mizu's face flushed a beet red as he sat down again and mumbled, "Nothing."

"Eek! A rat! Somebody, kill it!" a lady shrieked from far away, squealing for attention. The old man glared at Mizu again after eyeing the direction of the call and said in a gruffly voice, "You got a visitor."

Mizu stared as the man ran off and he thought, 'Who in the bloody hell would want to visit me?" He eyed the bars of his cell and his heart sank as he stared into the pale and viciously angry eyes of none other than the person he wished he would never see in a long time. "Vio? What are you doing here?"

The older teenager around 17 years old named Vio crossed his arms and scowled furiously at Mizu. "Hello, little brother. Care to explain why you are in here?"

Mizu gulped. What would Vio say if he told him about Mary? Would he think it was just a lame excuse? Would he laugh at him and say he's a dumbass for falling in love? What would he say? Should he chance it and tell him the truth? Should he lie?

Or should he tell him nothing at all?

"Uh, long story, actually," Mizu laughed a little uneasily as he felt his stomach lurch in guilt. "I'll explain it later."

"Why not now?" Vio asked with an evil glare piercing Mizu's heart. "You have plenty of time, don't you? Do you have anywhere to go within the next hour or so?"

"YES, actually!" Mizu laughed again, feeling a little better. He stood on his feet which he had no clue were aching throughout the entire time and he positioned himself on the wall where the air vent was at.

"Where are you going, Blue?" Vio questioned rashly, feeling very upset that his little brother would leave him there. He somewhat tried to chase him, but resulted in him grabbing onto the bars and watching Mizu furiously but intently.

Mizu shot his older sibling a look of daggers as he growled, "My name is not Blue! It's Mizu!"

"What stupid game are you coming up with this time?" Vio barked at him, not wanting Mizu to leave the cell.

"The one where I always win!" Mizu cackled and leaped into the open vent. He crawled his way out and continued going, but slowly so he could hear his brother's reaction.

"Son of a…" Vio groaned as he raced to the entrance of the prison.

Mizu laughed to himself as he continued to crawl to wherever he needed to go. What path did Mary take?

Mary…

He felt pitiful for her from his rude behavior when she was still there. He hated himself for snapping at her like that. He wanted to ask for her to forgive him, but it was a little too late — or early for that matter. If he hurried it up, he might find her.

Finally Mizu found his way out and let the rays of the sun shine on his back. His fun was short lived as he saw all of the same security men surrounding him. And with him, he cursed slightly, was Vio.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vio asked scornfully, glaring at Mizu.

Mizu stared at the many pairs of eyes locked on him and he blushed again. "Nothing! I need to find my friend!" Mizu scanned the enclosed circle of military troops and he continued, "She could be anywhere by now!"

"She?" Vio's furious look slipped off his face and he stood there with a blank expression. Suddenly he smiled a cunning smile and asked calmly as his fist flew into a soldier's face (completely intentional, by the way), "So… What's her name?"

"Her name is Mary!" Mizu answered as he socked another man in the face.

The armed men aimed their rifles at the twin boys. Vio smirked as Mizu gulped.

"How old is she?" Vio questioned again as he leaped on top of a man and took his tranquilizing gun. He shot down many of the men and left them sleeping, allowing the other troops to shoot away at him as he easily dodged the bullets.

"About as old as me, maybe younger," Mizu replied as he watched his sibling knock out many of the troops Mizu had a hard time with earlier. How could his brother do that when Mizu couldn't?

Then again, Vio was older…

"How is she like?" Mizu's brother interrogated once more as he knocked out more men of the U.S. Army.

"Dude, she's amazing!" Mizu smiled as he remembered her laugh. "She's more beautiful than most girls I come across, and she's brilliantly smart! She's mysterious and gorgeous! She led me into the forbidden forest by here. She's very creative, too! She asked what I liked more; trees, a river, or a campfire. When I chose the river, she came up with the name Mizu, and I like it a lot! I especially adore the emeralds in her eyes… They're so mystic and stunning… She really knows how to listen too… I always wanted someone to talk to, and she actually listened without judging and she related her issues with mine so easily… And she trusts me… Like the friend she has always wanted…"

Vio grinned at the words his brother said and chuckled, as he finally concluded, "It sounds like you are in love with her, brother."

"What! Are you kidding? I don't even know her!" Mizu shook his head as he looked away with a huge blush settling on his cheeks. "Nonsense."

Vio laughed again. "Denial. The first stage of everything…"

Mizu socked another man in the face. "What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Mizu scowled at him. "Whatever."

"Don't you have somewhere to go, Mizu?" Vio inquired again, watching his brother.

Mizu blinked. "Huh?" Immediately he was hit square in the face with realization. "Oh my goodness gracious! I almost forgot!" He was about to take off running until he turned back to his brother and asked, "Need help with that?"

Vio smirked and punched another soldier. "Does it look like I need help?"

Mizu glared at him. "Whatever." He raced off in a flash, hoping he could find her before she had gone too far.

Mary sat beside the familiar pond as she stared at the spot where the grass lay parallel to the floor. The imprint of where Mizu and Mary had sat at earlier that day still remained in the field and in her heart. She could recall the joyful laughter the two children had shared as they told jokes and shared stories and experiences that had troubled one another. She could remember it all, and she had wished that Mizu was there to recall the memories and happy thoughts with her.

The shout that Mizu had unleashed earlier had stabbed her heart once again. Tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her face again. She had been crying for God knows how many times now, but she could not help it. She was too trapped in her own world that somehow happened to revolve around her dear friend and hero, who was the first person she ever opened up to besides her mother. Why did she feel comfortable around him though? Was it something about his physical traits that she liked? Was it his poetry? Or was it his experiences that greatly related to hers spark her interest in him?

She had no clue…

But it was all over now. He was angry with her for having him end up paying her price, and she was left to wander the world with, like Mizu had said, nothing to do and nothing to live for. He was right. She had no home, no bed to sleep in, nor a roof over her head. She couldn't return to school. People would be looking for her there. She couldn't get a job and get money. How could she feed herself? Would she actually get the nerve to steal from a grocery store?

Mizu was right all along… Maybe she should've stayed in the cell.

"He was right," Mary told herself, physically slapping what was left of her face that was not wet with salty tears. "I'm a fugitive. I have no home and nothing to live for. Even if I paid the price in prison and served my time, I'd still be wandering the earth without a home and nothing to turn to… Am I really lost forever?"

"Mary!"

Mary turned to the source of her name and her eyes widened. Mizu had found her and he was out of his cell! But wasn't he the one who said breaking out of prison was worthless?

Then what was he doing here?

"Mizu, I thought you said—" Mary was silenced as Mizu placed a finger on her lips to silence her.

"I know what I said," he panted, obviously out of breath. "But I take it back… sort of… I was right that it was quite pointless to break out because we're still fugitives, but you were right too…"

Mary blinked, very surprised of hearing him admit the truth. "What was I right about?"

"Like some people, I break the rules!" Mizu laughed, and sat next to Mary.

Mary giggled, but looked at Mizu's body in search of any injuries. "Are you okay?"

Mizu frowned. "A little dizzy from a wide loss of blood, and I'm a little sore all over, but I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" Mary asked again.

"Do you doubt me?" Mizu arched an eyebrow.

"Maybe!" Mary laughed again.

Mizu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks."

She wasn't lying. She really did doubt that he only meant to follow simply because he broke the rules. If that were the case, she wouldn't have to bring up the fact that he claimed to be a rebel in order for him to go out with her. Only by her claim did he remember that he broke rules and didn't follow by them. But what on earth could've brought him out of his cell? She wasn't going to find out any time soon.

Rustling in the bushes alerted the children and Mizu bolted straight to his feet. Mary gasped and stood up as well.

"Mary, get out of here, now!" Mizu ordered.

"No!" Mary protested, clinging to his arm for dear life. "Not again! I won't let you get hurt!"

"Listen to me, Mary! They could be a lot worse than the Army that was after us earlier today! Just run! You won't be caught! I promise!" Mizu shot her a death glare.

"No! What you need to promise me is that you won't get shot again! You're too weak to even defend yourself!" Mary shouted back, defying his glare with an evil stare of her own. "I'm staying! If you really want me to escape, then come with me!"

Mizu let a small growl rattle in his throat at the approaching enemy and laughing could be heard behind the thick blanket of bamboo trees. Mary slightly relaxed, but she could feel the arm muscles in Mizu tighten in anger. Even when he recognized the voice of the teen (which goes unknown by Mary's account), he was still tense, and Mary did not know whether she should relax or tighten with fear again.

"All I do is let the bushes rustle as little over here and a little over there and I get me a great drama movie!" came the voice of a familiar teenager (to Mizu).

Mizu growled again and spat, "Damn you Vio! You're such an ass, I swear to Din!"

Mary blinked wildly. "They looked so alike! Were they twins? Is that boy dressed in violet one of Mizu's older brothers?

The boy Vio laughed again, clapping his hands together. "Man, you two are hilarious!"

Mary's cheeks blazed red and Mizu grabbed his older brother by the collar. "Listen, you son of a gun! I oughta smack your face to bits right now if I wasn't so down from the damned bullets!"

"Bullets?" Vio echoed, forcing his little brother's hand off of his tunic. "So you were shot by those men. I'm surprised you lived through them."

"Man, isn't there ANYTHING that you don't know?" Mizu groaned, rubbing his temples.

"Something he DOESN'T know?" Mary repeated to herself. She recalled when Mizu had explained the brother in which he hides in his shadow. Was it him?

"Not really. Not that I know of, to be exact, but keep looking!" Vio joked again, brushing his front blond bangs with his hand.

Mary felt a little disapproval of this brother. He seemed like a hotshot. And boy, did he act like one!

Mizu turned away and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're an ass, you know that?"

"How can I not know? You tell me every day!"

Mary sighed, and looked closer into Vio's eyes, thinking they were somewhat familiar.

Vio frowned at the awkward stare the girl handed him and asked quietly, "Why is she staring at me like that?"

"Mary?" Mizu asked, trying to wave a hand in her face to try and awaken her from her daydreaming.

"You look awfully familiar," she said in a humdrum voice, obviously still dipped in thought. "Where have I seen you before?"

Vio blinked again, wondering what she was talking about. "What?"

Finally she snapped her fingers in realization. "That's right! You're in my English class! You're Vio Hikari, right?"

Vio also seemed overcome by realization. "That's right. You're Mary Stern, aren't you? Don't you sit in the back of the classroom?"

"Yes!" Mary bounced up and down again and again. "Yes that's me! You're Mizu's oldest brother?"

"Older." Vio crossed his arms in disgust. "Our eldest brother is only a year older than me. And he's more of an ass than me."

"Ain't THAT the truth?" Mizu rolled his eyes and sat down, excluding himself from the conversation.

"Really?" _I can't imagine that_, Mary thought bitterly.

"Pretty much," Vio agreed with a slight nod. "But hey. He can't help it."

Mary laughed. "That's for sure!"

"By the way, you have been missing school for a while," Vio replied in concern. "Are family and home problems getting in the way of you coming to school?"

Mary nodded. "Yes. You've been absent a lot too."

Vio nodded. "Yeah. It's hard to come when you have a part-time job that the boss demands you attend in the MORNING. Damn him."

"That must be pretty bad," Mary replied a little quietly, thinking to herself.

Mizu cursed under his breath again for the billionth time that day. _Damn. She already knows him…_

_That increases the chance that she'll like Vio more than me…_

"Mizu? Why are you so quiet?" Vio asked, staring down on his surprisingly silent brother. "Is something bothering you?"

"No."

Mary sighed and sat down next to him. "Are you hungry?"

Mizu looked away. "A little."

"He's being modest," Vio laughed to himself. "He's trying to make his hunger seem unimportant."

Mary stared blankly at him and watched Mizu stand up in anger.

"Why don't you go jump off a cliff and die there, huh? Jeez Louise, you're pissing me off!" Mizu stood up violently and tried to slap his brother square in the face.

Vio smirked and caught his brother's hand in his own. "Why? Are you afraid that I'll steal your little girlfriend away?"

Mizu's face flushed a deep shade of red. "What? Take that back, you dumbass! That wasn't what I was thinking!"

Mary's eyes widened. Was Mizu lying to cover the truth? Did he really truly like her?

If so, she wasn't going to waste that chance.

"Sure you weren't," Vio rolled his eyes, releasing his brother's wrist.

Mizu yanked his hand back and glared angrily at his wrist as if he were accusing it of a crime. But his crimson red face betrayed him entirely. He really was embarrassed of his brother's accusation.

Mary listened to Mizu's stomach growling for food. It wasn't too loud, but she could hear it, and she found it amusing. But Mizu wasn't blushing over that, and it sort of upset her. Vio didn't seem to catch on to the protesting lunch reminder either. Mary smiled knowingly to herself and chimed, "I'm going to go look for some food. Anyone want fish?"

"Yes please," Mizu answered quietly, still staring hotly at his wrist.

"That would be great, thank you," Vio nodded with a sincere smile.

Mary nodded and left to go search for food. She smiled quietly to herself again and looked intently into the water in search of fish. She found a few tiny fish in the water and tried to catch one, but she missed it miserably. She cursed to herself and glared back into the water. For some reason, she didn't feel as well as she did before.

Her forehead burned and ached so badly that she felt very dizzy. She felt the black world spinning around her eyes as she noticed her legs twitching and staggering violently. She was shivering uncontrollably from the intense weather that day. She only had a dress on, so her legs and arms were bitterly and numbly cold. Her feet were sopping wet now from her refusing to take her shoes off before she entered the water. She felt utterly terrible and sick. Without hesitation from her body, she fell in back-first into the water.

Mizu noticed the splash and looked over to the water, wondering why he heard that sound in the first place. When he did not see Mary, he freaked out immediately, panicking. He, without a second thought, ran into the water and shouted, "Mary! Mary, are you alright?"

Vio stared into the direction of where Mizu was heading, a frown plastered on his face. Something was wrong, he thought to himself. Why did the sophomore girl let herself fall into the water like that? Something was definitely not right.

"Mizu," he called out to his brother, "Can you see what happened to her?"

"Not yet," Mizu answered as he finally arrived to where the splash came from. He froze and gasped as he immediately let his arms dive into the water. He pulled out the girl from the clutches of the water and stared into her eyes in worry and fright. "Mary! Mary, can you hear me? Please answer me!"


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Mary let her eyes part open a little bit and peered into her hero's.

She was awake, that was good enough for now, Mizu thought, half in relief and half in worry. He dragged his feet across the floor of the pond and made it to his brother.

"Is she alright?" Vio asked Mizu in fear.

"I'm not too sure," Mizu responded in panic.

Vio placed a hand on Mary's forehead. "She's burning up. She must've caught a cold or the flu."

Mizu hated himself for the time being and set Mary down. "Shit. Now what do we do? There's no extra change of clothes for her, and if she stays in that dress of hers, she'll never get better!"

"For starters we need to start a fire," Vio thought to himself as he turned to Mizu. "Collect some firewood. Knowing your strength you can light a fire in seconds flat. I'll go get some clean clothes from home. Hopefully yours can fit her."

Mizu nodded. "Why don't you get the sweatshirt and sweatpants that I got for Christmas last year? They don't fit me anymore, but that's bound to work for her."

Vio agreed. "Yes. Get started on that right now. I'll be back in about 5 minutes at the most." And with that he took off running from the forest.

Mizu followed him a little into the thick woods and began to collect some firewood. He hid his hands in his sleeves to try and avoid getting a splinter. He found quite an abundant amount of wood and he raced back to the pond.

"Mary, are you okay?"

Mary nodded weakly. "I'm very cold though," she responded faintly, watching him intently.

Mizu bit his lip in disappointment and replied, "You look ghostly pale. Here; I'll start a fire and you can warm up by it, okay?"

Mary nodded slightly in agreement and closed her eyes again, hating that she was ill.

Mizu stood one thick log on a pile of little ones below it and pulled out his blade. He focused it steadily on the edge and prayed that it would light a flame. He stared at the very edge of the log and concentrated without losing his balance. He lifted his silver blade and swung down, slashing the very end and, fortunately, lighting a bright fire.

"There we go!" Mizu declared with a wide grin spreading across his lips. He turned to Mary in relief and said, "Why not come here and warm up?"

Mary gave him a small but sweet smile. "Thank you." She crawled to the bright flames and shivered from the intense freezing temperature.

Mizu's smile fell off his face as he watched her tremble in the bitter cold. _Man,_ he thought to himself, _I hope Vio hurries it up. She can't stay like this for very long…_

"Mizu?" Mary looked into his eyes once more.

Mizu blinked. "Yeah?"

"Where is Vio?"

Mizu glared back into the cracking flames and responded, "He went to go get you spare clothing you can change into. You'll never get better if you don't take care of yourself."

"I'll heal eventually," she countered defensively, trying to spin in her seat on the grass.

"Yes, you'll heal eventually, but the wait will be sooner if you actually CARE for yourself," he grinned, glad he used one of her phrases back against her.

Mary scowled at him. "Sure, sure."

Mizu frowned._ Damn it_. He lost the terms fight again.

Mary pulled her legs closer to her and waited for Mizu's brother's return. She spread her arms out and let her hands reach intently for the red flame.

Mizu turned to the bushes and watched for any sign of life other than the howling wind. He realized it was quite cold; even he shivered. Imagine how hard it must be for Mary, who was wearing a wet dress for clothing and having a high fever.

Suddenly, thousands of black dots rushed in front of Mizu's vision and he felt himself fall straight on his face. After he landed, the aching in his head came back and his muscles felt so brittle and thin that he feared they might snap back on him.

"Mizu, are you alright?" Mary called. She gazed worriedly on his body that didn't even seem to twitch or move.

"Hey! What happened?" Vio came rushing in with a bundle of dark navy blue clothing. "Mary?"

Mary turned sharply to Vio and cried, "Something's wrong with Mizu!"

"Oh no," Vio groaned as he handed the clothes to Mary. "Go ahead and put these on. They used to be Mizu's, but they don't fit him anymore. You can keep them."

Mary gratefully accepted them. "Okay. Thank you." She stood up and quickly rushed past a thick bundle of trees to hide in.

Vio turned to his little brother and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Hmph," Vio gawked at Mizu with wonder on his face. "He doesn't have a fever like Mary… I wonder what could be wrong with him."

He flinched at the sound of awakening groans from his brother. He waited to say something until he could see his irises.

"Mizu," Vio called. "What happened?"

"You're back?" Mizu asked weakly, unaware of how light his voice sounded. "How's Mary?"

Vio frowned. "She's alright. Now we need to worry about you. Why did you pass out?"

"I don't know…" he moaned, turning onto his back. "Lack of blood, I suppose?"

Vio did not reply. He stared into his sibling's eyes a little while longer and inquired again, "When was the last time you ate something?"

Mizu laughed slightly. "Two days ago. Why?"

"You need to eat something," his elder brother concluded as he stood back onto his feet. "Especially with the huge loss of blood, you need to have food in your stomach."

Mizu rolled his eyes and turned his head away in another direction. "Whatever."

Vio sighed. "You'll never heal if you refuse to take care of yourself. How do you think knights become as strong as they are? By eating right, exercising regularly and resting. That's how."

Mizu shot him a death glare. "But I'm not a knight, am I?"

"Obviously you want to become one," Vio countered a little aggravated. "Isn't that why you have been training ever since you were little?"

"Shut up."

Vio cringed a little but growled at his brother's rude response. "Mary wouldn't accept this, would she?"

"I don't know, but I DO know for sure that you don't as hell," Mizu spat, trying to turn over. But he couldn't even budge one centimeter.

Vio turned away, giving up. He couldn't convince his brother to eat. Maybe Mary would have more success than him.

"Hi Vio, is Mizu okay?" Mary asked, revealing herself in her new clothing.

"Who in the frikken' world CARES? Certainly not Mizu, seeing as though he refuses to eat anything!" Vio blurted, greatly frustrated.

Mary blinked and looked down on Mizu who still tried to roll away.

"Why Mizu?" Mary asked.

"No reason."

"So you want to starve to death for no reason?" Vio bellowed angrily, glaring evilly at his brother.

"Shut up, Vio!" Mizu demanded, trying to stand on his feet. He barely made it to his knees until he felt a wave of nausea rush over him. He lurched and fell back onto the floor.

Mary ran to him and tried to help him. "Want to stand up?"

"Not really," he seethed, staring furiously at his older sibling, "I just want to kick his sorry ass!"

Vio leered at him sarcastically and turned away. He let his eyes gaze aimlessly into the pond. "… That's what I thought…"

Mary felt a little sympathetic for Vio as she sat next to Mizu. "Mizu, the reason why he wants you to eat is because he's afraid you'll get very sick."

Mizu stared dumbfounded at her. "How on earth can you get sick by going two days without food?"

"You get pretty weak, that's for sure," she responded as she stared into her palms intently. "Especially since you've been hurt by those bullets, you really need to take it easy!"

"Oh, not you too," Mizu groaned, slapping his forehead with his hand angrily. He sat up and felt that same rush overcome him. He tried to keep steady as he let his head rest on Mary's shoulder. "Ugh…"

Mary sighed again and she wrapped her arm around him. "If you were in his place, and he was weak, wouldn't you want him to eat and get his strength up too?"

Mizu looked into her eyes indifferently. "And? What does that have to do with me?"

Mary turned away for a little_. Man, this boy is so selfish when it comes to his brother! No wonder why Vio has a lot to worry about!_

"He wants you to be well and happy because he loves you like a big brother should," Mary concluded.

Mizu's eyes widened as if he had barely figured out the truth (which he did). Was she for real? Did he really care that much?

"And also, I heard your stomach growling earlier!" Mary giggled.

Mizu blushed and shook his head. "Nuh uh! That wasn't me! It was respiratory problems! Maybe it was some animal lurking in the bushes earlier today! No, it was your great imagination! It wasn't me!"

Mary laughed even harder. "Your excuses are funny! You're hilarious!"

Mizu's face flushed even harder. "Aw, shaddup…"

Mary stood up. "Still, you should go talk to Vio. Want me to go with you?"

Mizu gazed up at her, as if he was asking her if she was telling the truth about a deep secret. "… Would you, please?"

Mary smiled sweetly. "Sure." Her smile faltered a little bit, and she asked, "Will you be able to stand?"

Mizu shook his head. "I can barely sit down. I don't even think I can walk."

Mary nodded. "Okay." She turned to Vio. "Vio, would you please come here?"

The silent boy turned to her with his pale eyes standing out in the dark, yet it looked icily and dark itself. "Why?"

"Mizu would like to speak to you," she answered, hoping it would alleviate his anger.

Vio glared at her and turned away again. His eyes searched into the pond and he finally responded, "Fine."

Mizu felt guilty again. Vio was shooting his glare at Mary, when he, his aggravating little brother, deserved it. Why on earth did she have to pay for his mistakes?

Then again, he always seemed to pay for hers as well…

He blinked and his head snapped up as he looked into the frozen chilling eyes of his brother.

Vio seemed very cold-hearted, and Mizu knew why, of course. He always seemed to be upset when he couldn't take control of his little brothers, and even his older. Red was the smallest of them all, and he was considered the "baby," since he was so tiny. He always needed help with his homework and never let anyone sleep when he had a nightmare that night. Green was the next smallest, but he had a little more self control. He didn't need much help with his homework, and still he needed someone to serve him dinner and comfort him when he had nightmares.

As for the "older two," Blue, who renamed himself as Mizu, never did his homework, which was okay for Vio, but he needed much more food than Green and Red combined, but he just refused to eat in front of everyone, and every time Vio gets the nerve to ask why, he comes up with thousands of excuses, like, "It's too embarrassing!" And Shadow Link, the eldest, well…. was pretty much never home. He was always with his band or out partying, leaving the baby-sitting and part time job to Vio, who was beat tired every day.

He was very irate, especially now, and Mizu needed to try and alleviate it; but how? Vio never seemed to be in a good mood unless Mizu was embarrassed, angered or ridiculed in the process.

"Can I please talk to you?" he asked a little too quietly. He almost sounded like he was whimpering.

Vio did not make any facial expression; it was blank, other than a look of indifference. "Sure."

Mizu wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to start it off. He felt his head sway in pain and thought again. "Jeez, my head is killing me…"

"Are you alright?" Vio asked, gazing down on his brother.

"I don't think so…" Mizu replied as his words came out as bad as an intoxicated slur.

Vio kneeled down on his knees and held his brother's arms to stop him from swaying. Mizu let his head rest on his brother's shoulder and the nausea seemed to fade away.

Vio, carefully and painstakingly, took his seat next to Mizu and waited for him to begin talking.

The first two words that were emitted from his little brother's mouth shocked him:

"I'm sorry."

Vio turned his head slightly to look down on Mizu. "Sorry for what?"

"All the things you have to put up with," he answered with a shudder. He let his eyes glance into the surface of the pond's water. "You have to go through school which is stressful, the four of us when Shadow Link is home, and through that part-time job of yours with a crappy boss."

Vio actually laughed. "That's okay. People say you're weighed down with pressure because God wants to see how far you can go or how strong you are."

"Strong?" Mizu echoed.

"Not as in physical strength, but by how many hardships can come down your path and you still remain happy." Vio sighed and looked back into the moon. "Life is different for each and every person. Sometimes you have the best of luck; sometimes you have the worst luck by far. You never know what you can do."

"What would you count as? The worst?" Mizu asked.

Vio chuckled. "If you want to call it that. But people have it much worse than I do. I have a family, a home, shelter, money, school, and food… Some people, like Mary, have nothing… You have to really evaluate your life and see who has it much worse. Make the best out of it, when times seem dire."

Mizu did not make another sound. He was watching the tiny ripples in the water, thinking about Vio and Mary. When times seemed tough for them, they improvise and find ways out of it. Why couldn't he do the same?

"When you refuse to eat, I really think you're just stubborn and ungrateful. That's why I get so angry at you, because plenty of other people in the world are dying for food," Vio replied with a sigh.

"That's the whole reason why I refuse to eat," Mizu countered quickly. "Other people like Mary HAVE nothing, so I wanted to let this pass by for her to eat."

"But this was only a one day thing," Vio frowned, glaring at Mizu. "What about the other times?"

Mizu blushed. "I really didn't want you to waste the time cooking me something to eat. You had plenty of other mouths to feed and plenty of extra time you could be using to do your homework. I kind of feel like I'm a waste of food, money, air, and everything…"

"Why, because you're a middle child?" Vio asked with a smirk.

"No, I have the syndrome with the funny alphabet!" Mizu joked as he laughed again.

Vio chuckled. "I understand how you feel. But it really aggravates me MORE to watch you starve than to actually prepare the meals for you."

Mizu stared wide-eyed at him. "Really?"

"Pretty much."

Mizu's face reddened again and he glared at his own shoes. Why him?

"So, tell me; do you really like Mary?"

Mizu wanted to insult him off again, but he barely managed to get him in a good mood. He sure as hell did not want to ruin it. "Um… I don't know. How am I supposed to feel? You have experience with girls, don't you?"

Vio stared at him. "What?"

"What happens between you and that one chick? What's her face…?" Mizu trailed off into thought, trying to remember the maiden's name.

Vio's face flushed beet red. "I don't know who you're talking about."

Mizu rolled his eyes, "Whatever! You don't fool me, Vio! Anyways, how do you get her attention?"

Vio blinked wildly. "Excuse me?"

"Do you show off how strong or smart you are? Do you show her your six pack?"

"Shut up!" Vio stood up, glaring evilly at his brother. "That's extremely preposterous!"

Mizu laughed. "I was KIDDING!"

Vio growled, "Sure you were. And you call me an ass."

"You ARE an ass," Mizu declared with a chuckle. "We're asses together."

Vio sucked in his cheeks. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"But would you have it any other way?" Mizu asked, looking into his brother's eyes for the answer.

Vio blinked, but he smiled. "No I wouldn't. I'll never ask for it any other way."

Mizu turned around slightly to avoid a wave of pain that would surge through his head and looked for Mary. "Do you think we should head on to bed?"

Vio blinked. "That depends… are you going to eat first before you head on to bed?"

Mizu stared at him with a shrug. "Sure."

"Good." Vio stood up with a smile of satisfactory spreading on his lips. "Let me find some fish that Mary so desperately tried to catch earlier before this mayhem."

"I heard that!" came the voice of the female sophomore as she shot a death glare towards her classmate.

Vio howled with laughter. "That was the point!" He smirked and continued down the trail to the placid pond, now releasing circular ripples as they came into contact with his feet.

Mary huffed an agitated breath and turned back to the campfire. "Whatever."

Mizu blinked. Now that Vio was in a better mood, he had to go and check on Mary and see if she was alright. He crawled onto his knees and tried to speed his way over to the little bonfire to accompany her.

"Hi Mary!" Mizu greeted again, sitting beside the girl. "How're you feeling?"

"Pretty good, thank you," she replied with a tiny nod. "Just thinking about earlier today, that's all."

"I hear ya," Mizu emitted a sigh as he stared into the fiery pits of the flames. "Today was very rough."

"It was," Mary agreed, not taking her eyes off the burning log. "You feel like you've been wandering aimlessly for the past minute, hour, month, year, or however long as God wants you to, and you finally come to realize that reality had finally taken its time to strike you down. You end up lost into a sea of utter confusion, hate, and misunderstandings… You don't know whether you should stay in your own little fantasy world you built yourself to escape everyday chaos or to just accept reality and move on, because neither is more comforting, nor is it any more peaceful and tranquil like you hoped. It's not how you wanted it to, so… You're just as confused as the next person, and you know for a fact that no one will ever understand what pain you really feel…"

Mizu was watching her lips move while she spoke, and his right arm reached from behind her and gently grasped her shoulder. He gingerly and painstakingly pulled her into a hug. "I never really knew how bad the situation was for you. I was one of the billions of people on this planet who never did, who never would, and never will understand you and your pain. But that is why; in times as dire as this, you need to look for assistance because if you hadn't, you'd either been lost in depression or even actually on the verge of just holding a knife or blade to your neck. Reality bites."

"It does," Mary replied somberly, resting her heavy head with guilt on his shoulder, trying to look for comfort. "All I wanted was a better life. Is it too much to ask?"

"It is," Mizu answered with a solemn nod, "unless you are willing to pay a price for that wish."

Mary gazed at his eyes. "What?"

"Unless you're willing to sacrifice everything for that 'better life,' you might as well stick to whatever you have now, because you're not willing to do anything for that one wish of yours." Mizu's eyes were expressionless. Mary could not understand his feelings unless she had really put in the time to study his voice and speech very well.

She sighed and looked back into the burning fire. "But right now it all matters on what our fates decide to hand us. Will we be captured? Killed? Probably even exiled into another world of confusion? We may never know until the time comes."

"And when it does come, we have no plan of escape because we never accurately estimate the probability of chances," Vio included as he entered the conversation. He sat down and handed two large fish with a smile. "Hopefully this can hold us until morning. It's not much, but I doubt you guys would be too hungry after the events today."

"Mizu's the exception," Mary joked with a small laugh.

Mizu's face flushed again. "Shut up! What do YOU know about whether I feel hungry or not?"

"Your stomach lets us know if you forget to," Vio commented smoothly, placing his fish by the fire.

Mizu shot him another death glare. "Laugh while you can. You ain't getting away with it for long."

Mary noticed that Mizu did not release her from the embrace. She didn't want to reveal any signs of affection or thoughts of it, but she could not help but allow a slight pink blush settle across her face. She felt happy again. She recalled the fight they had in the cell when she was escaping and how she (back then) had wished for his arms' warmth again. Luckily her wish came back to her as she here sat in peace with her dearest, free from all troubles revolving around their barrier.

And although Mizu seemed a little infuriated with his older brother, Mary believed he was quite relieved to have another back-up person for him, one just as powerful, if not more stronger, than himself. Even the new bodyguard Vio (who seems to have no clue he's a bodyguard) was having a great time with them right now, laughing and joking with Mary at Mizu's humiliation. She smiled quietly to herself and closed her eyelids, hoping to catch some sleep.

Mizu sat impatiently, waiting for the fish to finish being cooked, his brother to finish making fun of him and his stomach to stop roaring at him. He had tried to escape the embarrassment of his brother by thinking of food, but his protesting gut gave Vio a whole new reason to laugh at him. He tried to think about Mary, but whenever he blushed over the previous events (and current; remember the hugging?), Vio would once again mock him. What was a teenage sophomore to do?

Vio had quickly pulled back the thoroughly cooked fish and handed one to Mizu. "Be careful, they're really hot."

Mizu glared at him. "Uh, hello, brother? They came from an open fire? They're SUPPOSED to be hot!"

Vio smirked. "I know that. I was warning you just in case."

Mizu flinched and growled, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you implying that I don't give a crap about fire safety?"

"Possibly," Vio replied with a small smile. He gazed at his hand and looked back at the other fish still waiting to be taken out.

"And look who's talking, Vio! You burned your hand on the fish!" Mizu pointed to his older sibling's blazing red hand. "Look who's the stupid ass here!"

Vio glared at him, not amused. "So? It's a minor burn."

"And you were planning to stick it back into an open flame… WHY?" Mizu barked, taking Vio's hand in his own. His fingers were wrapped tightly around his brother's wrist to prevent him from trying to pull it away.

Vio shifted his eyes back and forth. "Something wrong with that?"

Mizu stared at Vio with a look that clearly read, _"Oh-Din-I-Have-The-Stupidest-Brother-In-The-Universe."_ "What in the bloody hell is wrong with you, Vio? Do you WANT to lose your hand?"

Vio did not reply for about 5 minutes. He narrowed his eyes and remarked, "Do I sound rather familiar to you?"

Mizu wanted to blurt an insult to add to the many about how foolish his sibling had acted, but he stopped as the words echoed in his mind.

_Do I sound rather familiar to you?_

Is that how selfish Mizu acts when it comes to food? It has to be. Vio played one hell of a good job acting like him. Luckily Mizu had scolded him before it developed into a habitual issue like Mizu's almost-anorexia. But would Vio really continue to act this stupid just to get his brother's attention? And even so, Vio said himself that Mizu is often forgetful and rather absent when it comes to important things.

Imagine if Mizu was not paying attention to the things Vio had done right now…

Would Vio have to lose his hand in the process?

"You idiot!" Mizu shouted, slapping Vio square in the face. Vio, of course, cringed as a result, and even Mary had jumped a little of the loud slap. Vio's unburned hand lifted its way to gently touch the flushed cheek. But Mizu didn't care. "You said yourself that I was being a jerkass! Why did you stick your hand into the fire? What if I had never caught that? Would you continued to have left your hand to roast in the flames until you lost it?"

Vio blinked a little to recover from the sudden shock, and still, although he was hurt in more ways than one, he managed to smile. "Sure, why not? If I lose my hand, it's all the better. You'll be ten times more likely to notice, you know? Either way, I still teach you the lesson I want you to learn."

"Even if you get hurt in the process?" Mizu asked again, trying to understand the mysterious thoughts of his brother.

Vio nodded in assurance. "Even if I have to lose my life. That's the sacrifices we must make in order to survive. Survival of the fittest; have you ever heard of that law?"

Mizu scowled at him. "Yeah, I have. I'm back in Biology class all frikken over again."

Vio laughed. "Well, whoever is the most suitable for the environment is usually the luckiest with life. But some people have to make sacrifices and pay for crimes in order to live."

"That's quite hard to believe," Mizu groaned, nibbling at his nails. "If you make sacrifices, they're usually making you lose something in the end."

"But you gain something in the process, right?" Vio asked, staring intently into his sibling's eyes. "Your sacrifices for things of high importance usually should not leave you in vain."

"Usually," Mizu highlighted the word in his emphasis. "But what if we happen to sacrifice something and gain nothing in return?"

"Then we suffer the effects of the other side of the survival of the fittest law. We become the least fit for the environment and we cannot survive. That's how life plays," Vio replied with a quiet sigh. He scowled at Mizu and shouted, "And would you stop eating what's left of your nails? That's why you have a fish right in front of you!"

Mizu blinked. "Oh yeah. Here, Mary," Mizu handed the fish over to the girl still lying in his arms.

Mary smiled. "Thank you." She gladly accepted the fish and began to eat it.

Vio stared angrily at Mizu. "Why did you give it to her?"

Mizu looked unimpressed. He began to count the reasons, his fingers stretching away from his palm. "Let's see… the acts of chivalry, ladies first, youngsters' first, selflessness, and…"

Vio sneered at him, "Idiots last?"

Mizu scowled in return. "Shut up!"

Vio laughed again. "I knew it." He turned back to the leftover fish still being cooked (overcooked) in the fire. "Still want to eat that?"

Mizu glanced at the burnt ashes. A pang of hunger gnawed at his stomach and he wrapped his arm around it. "Sure. When you're desperate for food, you'll eat anything."

"Ain't that the truth," Vio chuckled, snatching away the fish in the fire again. He winced a little in pain, but he handed over the fish. "Here you go."

Mizu glared at Vio again. "You stuck the same hand back into the fire?"

Vio shrugged. "Why would I use my good hand?"

Mizu huffed a breath of anger and grabbed the fish away. "Whatev—ack! Hot! Hot! Ow ow ow ow OW!"

Vio laughed again. "You're so hilarious, Mizu! Maybe I should make you touch burnt food with your bare hands more often!"

"Maybe I should let your hand toast in the fire the next time you cook fish!" Mizu shouted vehemently. "And your hand almost looks black! Your palm is burned to ashes!"

Vio slowed his laughing and smiled. "Oh, it's just the ashes of the fish." He brushed off the ashes gently and showed him the red hand. "See? All red now."

Mizu could not help but feel a little relieved that the hand's burn was still as minor as it could possibly get at the moment. But still, his sibling had deliberately stuck the same hand back into the fire after Mizu had clearly told him no. "You're such a jerk, you know that? You don't know when to quit annoying me."

"Hasn't the thought ever crossed your mind that maybe I was intentionally trying to upset you only for the feeling of revenge?" Vio asked calmly with a strange and foreboding smile.

"Revenge from you? I'd think twice about that," Mizu commented with a slow exhale. "You'd act a thousand times worse than that."

"You know me well," Vio admitted, grinning from ear to ear. "Maybe I'd think twice about how I mess with your head."

Mizu sighed and glanced at Mary who still had her head resting on his shoulder. "I think she's asleep."

"No, I'm not," the sophomore girl spoke up a little quietly.

"Oops," Mizu laughed a little bit. "Never mind."

"Are you going to finish eating that?" Vio pointed towards the fish in the girl's hand, only half eaten.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Mary asked to counter his question.

"Good point," Mizu growled, eyeing Vio with a look of daggers. "And you say that I don't eat! When was the last time you ate something yourself?"

"Um…" Vio began to count using his fingers. "About four hours ago, I believe. Why do you ask?"

"Do you really believe that you'll be able to stay full for four hours when you practically digested all of the food in your stomach already?" Mary queried, eyeing him a little suspiciously.

Vio stared blankly at the pair of angry eyes flashing from his little brother. "Touché," he remarked with a small laugh. "I'll eat leftovers then."

"That's not enough," Mizu protested. "You should get another fish of your own! Crumbs won't last the whole night!"

Vio leered at him. "Don't be doing my stomach's job! It churns for a reason, you know that?"

Mizu stared expressionlessly at him. "You're weird."

Mary giggled at his response. She leaned in a little closer and buried her face in his shoulder, taking in his scent.

Mizu's face flushed beet red again. He rested a hand on Mary's and clasped it shut, still caressing it at the same time. "This has been a long day."

"Yes it has, hasn't it?" Vio replied with another sigh.

"It sure has," Mary nodded, still not backing away. "But I really do believe things happen for a reason. And if it didn't happen many of things wouldn't have happened either… Including me meeting Mizu… That is the one thing I will never regret from this day…"

Mizu grinned. "Neither would I…" 

Vio exhaled slowly but mirrored their expressions. "Indeed. Both of you have really turned each other's lives around in simply one day. How impressive, I must admit."

Mizu scowled at him. "Jerk. What that supposed to be some sort of insult?"

"..… Quite the contrary…"

Mizu and Mary gazed wondrously at him. They had no idea that he meant quite differently than the two of them had suspected.

"What do you mean, Vio?" Mary asked, slightly arching an eyebrow.

Vio smiled a sincere smile. "Both of you became different people in one day, something some people wish to do or wish to obtain for years on end…. Including me… You two became great friends in a matter of hours and it really proves that the two of you really do share a strong bond powerful enough to overcome any difficulty or any issue that seem to tear people apart. People who develop such feelings for one another in that way this quickly are very unique and also become the most powerful and successful on this planet."

"Great," Mizu moaned, "Another Biology lesson about 'Survival of the Fittest…'"

Vio smirked and chuckled. "I wish it were that simple, Mizu." His smile faded and he gazed deeply into the fire. "Many people do not see the things portrayed in front of them. They wait for things to be handed to them and are quite selfish, rude, greedy, and reactive. They are the fools that keep our planet from ever reaching world peace… And unfortunately, they make up almost the entire six billion people on this planet… But people like you and Mary are the first to lead the stronger and better people to changing our world and the way we see life by altering our image, telling us to do well and striving to transform into something more beautiful and to eventually be granted the potential to enter a whole new universe of an everlasting heaven and peace… And it all starts with the people who attempt the impossible, like the two of you."

Mizu and Mary were silent. Even the cricket chirping and singing in the bushes and trees were quite louder than the two of them. They almost sat as still as a rock. Vio was left to stare into the fiery flames of the campfire, watching the wood burn and char to ashes. He momentarily looked at the expressionless faces of the children in front of him and he smiled absentmindedly. "You two looked quite stunned. May I please ask why?"

Mizu was the first to move; he simply shrugged and replied, "I'm just thinking about what you said. It's kind of hard to believe that people like ME would be the first to change the world and all that kind of stuff, you know? I'm one of the more irresponsible people and yet I'm considered, in your eyes, one of the most powerful people on this planet."

"That's because you seem to be a totally different person, Mizu," Mary responded with a slight tilt of her head. "You seem like one kind of person to Vio; a brat who only cares about his self image and his ego and pride that seem to basically dominate his wishes and happiness, and yet with me, you're a really careful person who put his life on the line countless amount of times for my safety. You're very different with me than you are with your brothers, and when these worlds collide, your more powerful side shines through and let the two of us see who you truly are. That is the side Vio says that will transform our world."

Mizu nodded and popped the ashes of the fish into his mouth. It tasted very crunchy and overall bitter, but it seemed to soothe the noise of his stomach quite enough to lower the volume of its unruly outbursts. He gazed down to see Mary also nibbling on the fish's body. He glared at Vio and asked impolitely "Well, are you going to eat?"

Vio smirked, his icy eyes glittering from the fire's glow; "Not this time. I'll wait until morning to see what I catch."

Mizu was tired of fighting with his brother tonight, let alone fighting with anyone at all, words or weapons. He simply sighed and muttered, "So be it, but I'll make SURE you eat a well enough meal tomorrow! You hear me?"

Vio grinned in return. "I hear you loud and clear."

Mizu wasn't always satisfied with Vio's answers, and he definitely wasn't very convinced with his most recent, but he had no choice but to just accept it. He finally released a quiet sigh and muttered lifelessly, "So be it. What else is there to say? Anything else to discuss, Aniki?"

Vio blinked, but a warm smile spread across his lips. "When was the last time you called me that?"

Mizu turned the other way and sighed darkly. "Um, I don't recall. Do you?"

Vio shook his head but spoke in a happy tone, "Not at all, but now I'm more than glad."

Mizu smiled slightly and stared back into the flames. "Sure you are…."

Vio gazed up at the moon. "We should finally sleep. I'll put out the fire."

Mizu gazed back at Mary to see her fast asleep on his shoulder. His thin smile reappeared on his lips as he gently pressed them against her stone cold cheek. Despite the lack of warmth that was spread across her face, the heated affection she had handed to him throughout the whole day had reflected his emotions and, obviously, his cheeks. He embraced her warmly and shivered at the touch of her pale and marble skin. He was going to do everything he could in his own power to take care of her and ensure her entire well-being.

The day had been a long one, the three of them had concluded for tonight. Vio wasn't as exhausted as Mizu and Mary were, but he was just as tied up with the issue as Mizu, and it did seem to impact him a little as well. Mizu had recalled everything he heard and saw that day, including the moment when he saw nothing but red until the forest-like green shimmer of Mary's eyes shined before his unworthy eyes. He did change; so many things, so many emotions had hit him that day… Pain, hate, love, sorrow, regret and fear were only several among many other unmentioned ones, each with a powerful impact on him and the others around him. He was wiped out and downright tired, but he could not sleep. The comfortable crackles of the familiar fire were to die down as his older brother was going to retrieve the water from the lake and put out the flames. Many thoughts raced past his mind like cars on a freeway. So many mysteries and questions, so little answers…

_This is the maze and puzzle of life itself, isn't it?_ He asked to just himself.

With a satisfied nod, he lay back down and held Mary closer to him. His cold little heroine seemed to shiver slightly, but no other movement than the breathing of her lungs.

Mary secretly smiled to herself and placed her head, her ear to be more exact, over Mizu's chest. There, she could hear the livelihood of his beating and strong heart. It was thumping like a lullaby, a lullaby long lost throughout the terrors and fear of the day. This strange feeling came back, over and over. She could recall every feeling she had felt for him. Shock, anger, hate, relief, and….

…. Love?

That was what she could conclude. Either that or one powerful friendship, and yet it still somewhat exceeded the "boundaries" of their relationship as mere friendship. It was something more… powerful… Maybe not love… but maybe it was something very similar to it. It was more than a crush and possibly less than love. Attraction? All of these adjectives seemed too minor of a word to use, and yet love was too major. Was there such thing as a moderate word to use?

Mary's head spun in circles and she practically grew dizzy just thinking of it. But how could she rest if her mind was full of thoughts that disturbed the sleep she needed?

Mizu seemed to rest easily. In a matter of second, he was out cold. But that was to be expected. He needed to recover as much as possible because of the slaughter in the morning and the many bullet shots his body took late that evening.

Vio, Mary noticed, was also wide awake. Even after putting the fire out, he sat patiently still and silent, awaiting the crack of dawn. She saw his pale icy blue eyes tracing their way in the dark. He didn't seem to notice she was awake…

"Can't sleep?"

….. Or so it seemed.

"No, I can't," Mary replied, not knowing whether she should sit up to see Vio more directly or stay in Mizu's arms as to not startle his sleep.

Vio was shrouded in the dark, but even then, Mary could tell he was smiling. "I see. The events the two of you had to put up with today were harsh, so I'd understand if you fall asleep immediately like Mizu, or stay up and think of the day's events like you. "

Mary remained somewhat quiet for a couple of minutes, and then gazed deeply into Vio's eyes. "It's hard to sleep," she admitted softly, avoiding the risk of waking Mizu, "since the day was very long and nerve-racking."

Vio simply nodded and turned his gaze to the pond. "Wish I knew what you guys were really up against. I pretty much don't have a say in this, because my opinions are biased by naivety. I don't see the big picture… But all I can determine from the looks of your faces and the stories I heard was that it was an out-of-hand situation that spontaneously came up today of all days. It took the both of you down so low as to instill instinct. That's all I can really accurately determine. But knowing the people, they'll come back to take you two down, and I'll be there to witness it first hand."

Mary listened to the soft snoring from Mizu and sighed. "Mizu is the one they point their guns to; they know he is armed and tough. You can be a target from their rifles too. All they want is me to be in prison. They may kill you."

Vio slightly smirked, a malicious glare pointed straight for the bamboo trees ahead of the pond. "They may, they may not. Depends on how tough their forces are and how much of a fight Mizu and I plan to put up. I doubt we'll fall without scarring them very bad. We're not pushovers."

Mary felt some sort of insecurity swim in her chest and made her feel faint. For some reason, something in Vio's nasty stare towards the trees made her jump and her heart pound uncontrollably. She started to doubt she trusted him as much as she did before, but at the same time, she could not conclude he was a bad person to heart. He was trying to protect her and Mizu, wasn't he?

Vio immediately sensed that suspicion within his classmate and gave her a small assuring smile. "Something the matter? You seem very tense."

Mary shook her head with a grin. "Nothing! I'm alright, don't worry about me."

Vio smirked slightly, knowing she was lying. He shifted his sitting position and held his head a foot off the ground with his hands supporting his upper body's weight. "I sense the doubt within you. Did you suddenly grow tense and suspicious by the sound of my voice? Or was it the glare my eyes shot? Either way, I know your trust has wavered."

Mary gulped and shivered, trying to rub her arms with her hands. She looked away from the icy pair of eyes that pointed to her direction. "… Your glare… Your voice… Your complexion… Everything about you gave me a hint of doubt. I'm really sorry, I want to believe you mean well to me, and to Mizu, but something about you just…"

Vio seemed to be slightly hurt as she saw his eyes narrow in wonder. "… I see. You really think I have such a dark side. Actually, to tell you the truth, I do… It's a lot worse than Mizu, but yet I have more self control than he. To be honest, I can do as I please with it. Never had I had to pay the consequences for my blood lusting behavior, because against me, if I'm truly angry, not one man will walk out alive to tell his tale."

Mary felt her heart skip a beat at his words. Sure, this kid was malicious and evil when he fights enemies, but for good reason. He wanted to protect Mizu and Mary as much as possible, Mizu at the very least. She could sense his intentions, she knew his words well. Her slight paranoia faltered away with her shivers as she felt the warmth from Mizu emanate from his skin onto hers. Finally, the urge to sleep was kicking in; her eyes were very dry to the point where it pained her to keep them open. Her head throbbed towards her neck, and the pain traveled down her spine and to her arms and back. She was dead tired and completely exhausted. Her entire body ached and she shifted uncomfortably, trying to overcome the sore pains all over her. She could only imagine what agony Mizu would feel in the morning.

Vio seemed to notice her instable position in Mizu's arms, and he smiled. "You need some rest. I assure you, a good night's sleep should do the trick. Good thing you're fed, too. Well, I'll let you sleep, ok? Good night."

Mary finally closed her eyes and slightly giggled, "Good night."


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

Vio was the first to awaken, and surely enough, that didn't surprise him. The night before, Mizu and Mary were absolutely exhausted, and he could imagine the groaning they'd make after waking up. He had recalled from before that they were tired and sleepy, and they slept deeply, probably with dreams as black as the night. He slept lightly, but what difference did it make? He didn't lose any blood or sanity like Mizu, or any hope and willpower like Mary. He gazed back at the peacefully sleeping children and his heart seemed to beat in a sad rhythm, almost in sympathy for them.

_The poor things,_ he thought sadly to himself with a sigh, _unfortunately this is only the beginning for the two of them, and for me…_

Vio stood up and felt his entire body sway. He was lightheaded, and obviously that would do no good for Mizu and Mary, since they had probably relied on the oldest one to guard them in case the men had come back for another onslaught. Last night he had said that he had eaten his last meal four hours prior to his union with Mizu and Mary. And THAT had been about 12 hours ago.

"Curses," he growled silently, holding onto his boisterous stomach, "I forgot how hungry I was. Well, I made a promise to Mizu and I have to keep it…"

His eyes gazed toward the pond, and his mouth slightly watered at the juicy and rich taste of the fish. He shook his head rapturously and inhaled deeply.

"It's settled," he replied only to himself, his words in the form of a dark whisper, "I'll eat fish now, start a fire, and probably fix the little ones a good breakfast too. I hope they don't really mind about eating the same food twice in a row."

With that in mind, he set off for the pond and captured three wonderfully sized fish. It was perfect; one fish could fill him up in a matter of minutes. The other two would prove to be a fulfilling breakfast for the younger ones.

For some strange reason, something had caught his attention. The fish he had caught and held within his arms now were large, yes, but suspiciously large. If he had recalled correctly, the fish he had caught the night before were a normal size. They weren't really enough alone to fill anyone's stomach. So then, how did they get this big within one night?

And to top it off, were they the right fish to begin with? Are they the same species?

His protesting gut didn't give him time to answer, let alone think. A small blush settled across his cheeks, but he disregarded it, knowing no one was really awake or around to laugh or comment about it. He trudged his way over to the campsite where Mizu and Mary laid, and he sat down, his leggings wet with the pond water. He took some sticks and attempted to create a fire, somehow like Mizu does. But unlike Mizu, Vio was not so successful in making one little spark.

"Damn, how do I start a fire?" he grumbled, noticing yet another failure, his fifth, to be exact. "Mizu makes it look so easy! Then again, he IS a pyromaniac, isn't he?"

Vio's ears slightly twitched to hear rustling in the bushes. His head spun and his eyes darted back and forth between gaps of trees in a futile effort to retrieve sight or sound of the enemy.

_My eyes,_ he growled to just himself_, are trying to fool me. They're diverting the sound of the enemy from his location. How can I possibly find him if I continuously get mocked by my eyes and my ears?_

Vio shut his eyes tightly, enhancing his hearing ability. His heart pounded, the second loudest sound echoing in his tapered ears. Sweat slowly made its way down his throat, tickling the standing hairs behind his neck and causing him to shiver, despite the humidity.

A sound from the brush had caused his left ear to twitch. _To the left,_ he told himself, readying his hand with his sword handle.

Thick stomping to the right made him flinch. _So, there are two people here, huh?_ He smirked, drawing his silver blade and arming himself. Then and there, he heard the cocking of a pistol. One of the two men was armed. His smile curved into a twisted smirk and he snarled, feeling the adrenaline course through his veins and to his armed hand. They DARE bring a gun to the feud? They had another thing coming.

More stomping from ahead, but it sounded like that person had company, with at LEAST five others. Vio's heart slowly sank into the pit of his gut. He realized that he was pitifully outnumbered. Mizu and Mary were out cold. There was no way that he'd be able to take down that many men. He was lucky that he caught the men off guard yesterday, but that was because they had their eyes locked on poor little Mizu. Now, the enemy's eyes were set on Mizu AND big brother Vio. He let out a futile growl, thinking it would alert the nemeses that he was a tough opponent, but truthfully, he was more frightened than he sounded.

"This can't be the little snotty kid," the familiar man who cornered Mary first muttered, revealing himself to his enemy. He smirked and laughed, "So, this is the older brother of that little brat. I would have thought as much!"

Vio narrowed his eyes thin to where his pupils matched one of a cat's. His entire body was pinned to the floor, waiting for the man to strike. His knuckles were so white they blended well with his leggings. The low growl reverberating in his throat grew ominously louder, hoping to strike fear within the men. It did seem to make it so, since he did pose as a new and unknown enemy to them. They know Mizu's tactics well; Vio was different… MUCH different.

"This kid's just as cocky as his brother!" Another man came out with a feisty and toothy grin that exposed tons of scabs and wounds, obviously inflicted upon him by none other than Mizu. "He's posed just like him!"

Vio smiled, trying to mask it like a friendly smile, but something about his complexion made his smile ever so eerie. His eyes seemed friendly at first glance, but after much thought, one would think he stared straight into your soul.

"My brother Mizu… you think I act like Mizu? Well, we ARE related after all!" Vio laughed heartily. He seemed to beam at the invaders and stood with a look of welcoming happiness. But it seemed to be suspicious and only one of the people noticed that. Vio somewhat pointed out the awkward look on that man's face and decided to go straight down for business. "You after something, men? Someone you're after in particular?"

The man who began to feel slight uneasiness stepped closer to him. "Mizu... Find him for us. He broke laws by helping a fugitive escape, murders our men and owes us money for property damages!"

Vio frowned, trying to put on the mask that he was entirely disappointed and shocked of his brother's actions. All the things the man had said, Vio knew were true. But the men had no idea that the older teen knew that information already. "Is that so? So he was OUT this whole time to break laws? Who would have guessed?" The violet-clad sibling paced back and forth, as if thinking intently to himself. "Hm… I do need to teach him a lesson for his undoubtedly idiotic mistakes."

The man who was suspicious narrowed his eyes and drew out his rifle, aiming it for Vio. "Who told you this? WHY do you to know so much?"

Vio blinked in utter confusion. A somewhat small and perplexed smile made it halfway onto his lips as he replied, "Excuse me? I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You can't hide anything from me, ya little brat!" The man cocked his pistol and grunted, spitting out the tobacco piece in his mouth. "NO one hides anything from Sergeant Michael!"

Vio turned his head and allowed a thick bundle of hair provide to be a blanket and hide his eyes. "Sergeant Michael? You're after Mizu. What exactly did he do?"

Michael spat out more tobacco and cursed, "YOU of all people should know; you ARE his brother after all, aren't you? Maybe he traded a few secrets and THEN some, huh, kid? He took down many of our men who patrolled the taken property! He had no right to kill all those men!"

Vio could not help but release a large and wicked grin that curved his pale lips and parted open as a loud and bloodcurdling cackle reverberated in the trees. His cold and stony eyes narrowed maliciously at the group of men that surrounded him and he held up his blade.

"Is that so? You're very clever, Sergeant; you were able to read out my plan so fast! That was very impressive, I must admit! Too bad you found out too late…"

And with that Vio leaped up into the air and hid among a bundle of tree branches and snickered as he heard many bullets whizz right on by him. He smirked especially at the poorly aimed ones that weren't even aimed for his feet.

_Wow, these people are PATHETIC! Do they even know how to AIM? These guys need to learn what true aim REALLY is! _He thought viciously to himself. His smile grew larger as he pulled out his bow from his bag and strapped his quiver to his back. He yanked out an arrow and placed it over the bow, readying it for fire. He pulled the string back along with the arrow's feathers and aimed carefully towards one of the soldiers. He leered as his bow trembled, trying to remain precautious about opening himself into range.

He dismissed the thought and launched the arrow, and like he had hoped, it pierced straight into the man's armor, and his heart leapt in joy.

"Vio, what are you doing?"

Vio's eyes widened as he turned to see Mizu standing on his feet, glaring coldly at his big brother. He didn't seem too well rested, since he had almost had the complexion of a man suffering from a hangover. He looked absolutely tired and weak, and Vio's heart sank more for that look than the fact that his brother was scolding him.

"Mizu," Vio's lips mouthed slowly as he leapt down from his spot in the tree branch and sauntered over to him. "What are you doing awake…?"

"Shut up! What is WRONG with you? WHO are you fighting out there?"

Vio heard Sergeant Michael cock his pistol again and aim for Mizu. His eyes widened as he turned to face the enemy.

"Your time's up, brat! You fall under the law tonight!" Michael growled, pulling the trigger.

Vio let out a gasp as he ran to Mizu to shove him down. At the same time, however, the bullet ran into his back and shot pain throughout his entire spine. His eyes shut tight, never feeling such agony before. He let out a groan as he tried to caress the pain in his back. It wasn't working too well as his head began to throb uncontrollably and his entire body felt the ache.

Now imagine getting another 10 more shots, and then some. That was how bad it was for Mizu.

"Vio!" Mizu cried as he sat up to embrace his brother. He pulled him into a hug and tried to get him to speak. "Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," Vio replied, not sounding like he felt. His voice still seemed distraught with battle and stern, even though his body was almost quivering in fear and pain. He, no matter how hard it was, finally stood back onto his legs and faced the enemy, who seemed a little disappointed he hit the wrong target. No one really seemed to care, especially not Vio who was now snarling for his revenge.

"Shoot, I seemed to hit the wrong brat, huh? What will the government DO with an important head figure like me?" the sergeant muttered sarcastically as he sneered at the boys. "Looks like I'm going to have to kill them BOTH!"

"Shut your dirty mouth, bastard!" Mizu growled angrily, unsheathing his own blade. He stood up fiercely; his eyes narrowed ferociously at the man and aimed the tip for him. "You HONESTLY think anyone's going to keep a cocky fool for a leader who is nothing but all talk? I really suggest changing your job, for the sake of your career, your life AND your pride!"

The sergeant's scowl seemed to grow trice its size as he twirled the gun in his hand. "Do you think I'd be fazed by such talk, little kid?" He munched at the tobacco in his mouth and smiled a crooked smile that exposed his yellow teeth. "You've done nothing to prove yourself to me. I can just conclude you're more cocky than powerful."

"Truthfully, you are no better, General," Vio stood erectly, trying to put on a look of that of a sinister villain. He scowled icily at the sergeant and pushed Mizu behind him in attempt to protect him. "The only shot you made so far was the bullet through my back, but to be honest, that was nothing compared to the speech you made about your superiority. You're all bark, no bite. You really declare yourself the winner before your opponent is declared dead?"

"You're wrong," Sergeant Michael growled, his beady eyes staring straight into the twins' souls. "You are dead."

And with that, Michael had launched yet another bullet, but Vio was also as quick; he tripped Mizu to the floor and leapt up, the bullet barely whizzing past him. He landed on a branch and prepared another arrow and aimed for Michael's head. With that release, Vio would end his life. But he didn't care.

He cared for Mizu's and Mary's lives only.

Michael took advantage of the fact that Vio had hesitated to draw another arrow from his quiver and shot towards his torso. He smirked and laughed at how modern-day guns can overpower medieval weapons so easily. He LOVED the fact that he was more technological and advanced than his opponents, and cherished how fast and powerful a bullet can really be.

Vio's eyes widened as he tried to leap out of the way. He successfully dodged the bullet, but his relief was short-lived when he saw himself plummeting to the floor, his back facing the tree roots. He clenched his eyes shut and braced himself for the impact.

Mizu let out a silent moan and stood back onto his feet to catch his brother. He was weak, that was for sure, but that didn't provide a good enough excuse to not catching Vio if he happened to land straight onto the floor. He lunged in with arms stretched outward to luckily grab hold of Vio before he hit the rough bottom.

"Oi! Careful, you idiot! You could've really hurt yourself!" Mizu chastised angrily, feeling the soreness of his abdominals return. He tried to stand, but realized he had no energy left. His lack of sleep wasn't proving to be beneficial, was it?

"I-I'm sorry," Vio stammered, immediately standing with a flushed face, and offered Mizu his hand. The blood rose its way to fill his ears and make them hot. It was quite embarrassing for his little brother to catch him in his fall, that's for sure.

Mizu struggled to look up into Vio's eyes, which was almost impossible with his throbbing head. His hand seemed to duplicate itself into hundreds of others, but he could tell it was a result of dizziness. He rested his head against the ground and laughed weakly, "Sorry big brother. I can't get up right now. I'm awfully dizzy."

Vio growled to himself and released a silent curse. He turned back to the sergeant and glared viciously to the man. But he noticed a small whimper escape his lips through his ferocious growls. _It's a sign of weakness_, he thought to himself_. I'm doomed, and I knew it… That's why I whimpered the way I did… Have I truly lost hope so soon?_

The Sergeant smirked and twirled his rifle in his hand, a twisted glint flashing in the corner of his eye. "I KNEW you two would be no match for me, look at you! Your poor little brother's sapped of all his energy, and YOU'VE already given up, haven't you, boy?"

Vio bent to Mizu's level and placed a hand on his forehead. Mizu didn't seem to respond to the cold and clammy touch of his brother's hand on his skin, or else he would've flinched or at least opened his eyes to see him. That meant Mizu was out cold again.

Vio knew it was dangerous to leave Mizu alone. He picked him up and held him to his chest, knowing that would be the safest place to keep him since his back would be turned to the soldiers.

A risky move, but he had no other option.

"Don't let that brat get away!" Sergeant Michael ordered angrily as he pointed swiftly towards Vio. The men agreed and opened fire in a matter of seconds.

Two bullets whizzed right past Vio, and it made him sick to hear how close they were to hitting his body. One bullet, however, whistled in the wind and pierced its way into his left shoulder blade. Vio let out a small yelp in pain but continued on his way to run. His eyes darted back and forth, looking for Mary. He knew he'd regret taking her with him. Mizu won't let him live it down. He'd be so heartbroken.

Vio raced to the place where the three of the children had settled camp the night before where the three of the children had settled camp the night before. To his dismay, Mary was no where in sight. She was missing, and there were two possibilities as to why she was gone at all. Either she left to retrieve food or find Mizu and Vio, who were out stuck in the turmoil with Sergeant Michael, or…

… She was kidnapped…

Mizu lay limply in Vio's arms, his hands cold and lifeless. Vio bit his lip and blood tricked down his chin. With almost no strength to continue, he sat down before his enemy should fire another bullet and let his thick blond hair cascade and cover his face. His shoulder and back throbbed in pain and his head swam pain throughout his entire body at his thoughts. He was choosing his options very carefully, knowing his advantages were even slimmer than his chances of escaping. He was surrounded and utterly outnumbered, his brother was unconscious, Mary was missing, and he himself spilling blood from holes in his back.

There was no other choice. His icy blue irises snaked their way to glower viciously at his enemy and positioned Mizu to lay his head on his shoulder more comfortably. His throat tightened and his voice a mere and raspy whisper…

"… We surrender…"

Sergeant Michael was stunned. He lowered his rifle to gaze absently into his opponent's eyes. Was this kid for real? Had he truly given up on fighting back?

"Smart boy," he sneered, marching his way over to Vio. His eyebrows furrowed at the twisted snarl on his opponent's face and he released a small snicker. "You chose well to give up. You saved your life and your brat of a brother's-"

"We surrender," Vio interrupted flatly, "on one condition, General."

Michael's frown deepened upon hearing that Vio had a negotiation in mind. But it couldn't have been much that he sought to ask for, since the boy was clearly out of other options. "One condition? Alright, spit it out. What do you want?"

"Where is the girl?" Vio narrowed his chilling blue eyes and restrained his lips from curling into a snarl. He stood up and scowled fiercely at the General, his eyes set aflame with burning rage. He wasn't going to leave without Mary, no matter how many more bullets he had to take. He knew that leaving without Mary would surely mean he'd pay the price from guilt and Mizu later. "Give her back to me."

"Girl? Oh, that little brat that owed us money?" The large man laughed and spit out the last chunks of tobacco left in his mouth. "Truthfully, I have no idea. She's no where to be found. But yes, you did guess right when you had asked me what I had planned to do with her; I did intend to hold her hostage to catch the little murderer you hold with you."

Vio's eyes widened slightly before narrowing into slits, his hands tightening the grip he had on Mizu's arms. He couldn't help but smile though, since he had an inkling that Mary was not in their clutches. Still…

If she wasn't with them, where could she be?

Mizu's eyelids slowly parted to reveal the bright sunlight and his brother's face to him. His heart throbbed as it pounded, and he was helplessly weak. It would do no good to sit up, but he could not allow his sibling to fight the enemy alone. If only he had more time to recover, maybe he could provide to be of big help to Vio. But right now, he had nothing left in him since he felt torn and sore all over. His muscles ached and he was close to being considered brittle and helpless.

"So, you don't know where the girl is, do you?" Mizu heard Vio ask. He gazed up to see a sly smile plastered on his brother's face and instantly became confused. If Mary was not with the enemy, where was she?

Obviously Vio had a plan. That's why he was smiling, right?

There was no time for questions. Not for Vio to directly answer, anyway. He was the final hope to save him and Mary. If he was even slightly distracted, then there was no way in hell all three of the teens would come out in one piece. He couldn't risk getting anyone killed at the moment, so it would be best to not say anything until he was even capable of looking at him.

"The girl is missing, I told you." Michael glared darkly down on Vio, his eyes narrowing viciously.

Vio could only smirk and laugh. This man thought he was a fool, doesn't he? He will regret it; he will make sure of it. His smile curved into a twisted snarl as he clenched onto Mizu even tighter. He felt Mizu wince from the pain of his nails digging into his skin and frowned, feeling guilty all of a sudden.

"… Mizu? Are you awake, little brother…?" he called softly. He fought the urge to gaze into his sibling's eyes, since that would run the risk of taking his eyes off the enemy.

"Y-yes, I'm awake…" he answered bluntly, as if his life was sucked dry. He felt his clothes clench and stick to his skin as if holding onto dear life, realizing he was drenched in sweat. His eyes stuck on his foes, trying to blink the horrible blurry vision away. "… Vio… What's going on?"

Vio couldn't answer. Even the slightest second he's distracted from his enemy could result the death of Mizu or he himself. He clenched his teeth together as his mind raced with many thoughts. The throbbing in his lower back and shoulder was taking its toll on him, slowly, but steadily. He smirked again and set Mizu down to stand up, eyes locked on his enemy. "… So, you're truly honest about not holding the girl hostage? How do I know you're not lying?"

"How do I know you'll submit to surrender even after I fulfill your 'condition,' boy?" the soldier retorted quickly, already coming back with sly responses.

Vio slightly winced at the tone of the remark, but he had to admit, it was clever to think of that so soon. How the enemy was able to respond so quickly with such an answer is still beyond him. "… Smart. I didn't think you'd be as easy to toy around with like your idiots of soldiers, but never did I consider your true range of intelligence."

Michael grinned slightly before his frown deepened. "No need to try and flatter me, brat. No matter how many compliments you give me, I'll still be off with your head in time for dinner."

Vio rolled his eyes. The cocky bastard wasn't going to ever end with his conceit, was he? No matter. What difference did it make to the battle they had? It just added character to the foe.

All that really counted was the panic that ran down the teenage boy's spine. Mary wasn't to be found, Mizu was weak and ill, and he himself was wounded. Not significant like Mizu's condition, but it was enough to speed up his heartbeat and note the torrent of thoughts that rushed around in his head. He was stuck. His only option left was to surrender, and surrender for good. But what would it cause?

"General," Vio called out to the opponent, eyes narrowed and his voice almost dripping with hate, "What would happen to Mizu if he was turned in?"


End file.
